Price: $195
Why Buy?
The WOA Boot offers a semi-custom fit and all day comfort for a price that undercuts others in this segment.
Why Avoid?
The WOA Boot’s clinical aesthetic won’t work for everyone, and QA needs a bit of tightening.
Specs
| Model | Boot |
| Height | 6″ |
| Size | N/A |
| Weight | 567 g / 1 lb 4 oz |
| Materials | Leather / EVA / Rubber |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | China |
History
WOA, which stands for “Walking On Air,” is a brand you might not have heard of. Not only are they only a year or so old, nearly all of their marketing has been focused on a slim set of professions: healthcare, hospitality, and restaurant workers. However, if you’re on this website you’ve almost certainly seen their work.
WOA’s parent company, TailorStep, was originally launched as a way to help address one of the biggest issues with online shopping. Namely, that you can’t try the shoes on first. This can be annoying for customers trying to shop. And expensive for brands as return and reshipment costs for different sizes can add up.
Before long, the company figured, “if we have this technology, why not use it ourselves?” This led to the creation of WOA.
However, can a brand that’s focused so highly on very tailored use cases be something that the average joe should be checking out? Let’s dive in and find out.
Disclaimer: This pair of WOA boots was provided by WOA for the purpose of review. However this is not a sponsored post. Everything below is true to my own opinion and WOA did not get the opportunity to review or edit this post before it went live.
Order Process
Starting off, buying a pair of WOA Boots is a little bit different than your typical order. After you choose which color and design you’re looking for, you use your phone to scan your feet with a credit card as a reference. With the scan complete, WOA will ask you to fill in your typical size, issues you’ve had with shoe fitting in the past, and things like toe space preference.
After you’ve submitted, they manually review each order to make sure nothing looks off. If everything looks good, the order goes into production. One thing to flag – as various parts of WOA reviewed my order, responses came from different email accounts, some of which landed in my spam filter. Since they might have questions for you as the process goes on, be sure to keep an eye out.
With each shoe being custom made, it’d be impossible to hold stock. Expect about a 6-8 week delay to receive your pair. WOA does a good job of sharing the status of where your shoes are in the process, with updates on steps of construction, quality checks, etc.
Looks
Packaging
I don’t typically include packaging in these reviews unless it is something worth mentioning, and these WOA Boots have way cooler packaging than they really have any right to.
Not only is the box particularly sturdy, the labeling on top changes as you open the drawer-style slide box to get your boots out. Does this do anything to impact the wearability of the boots? Of course not. However, as Marie Kondo would say, it does spark joy.
Upper
WOA makes two different designs. The boot, which you can see here, and the shoe. However, at its core, they both feature very similar patterns.
The defining feature of the upper is a large, rounded toe box panel that curves all the way back to the heel cap. This toe box panel sits on top of the quarters, leading to a “closed lace” design more typically found on Oxford shoes. Other design accents include a double layered heel cap, which can feature WOA in black, white, or not at all, and padding around the collar of the boot.
Inside, the boot is lined with white leather and features black insoles.
While WOA focuses primarily on the minimalistic look, there are a few handiwork flourishes. The most notable is that all of the edges are rolled. This means the leather is folded at the edge and then sewn down. Second, they allow you to get a custom badge inside the tongue.
There are two items worth noting here on my pair. First, one of the boots came with two ½-inch sections where the leather had been overstretched and the surface had torn, with one being right in the middle of the large toe panel. The brand has a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so I have no doubt they would replace them if asked, but if you’re in a rush it is something to be aware of. Second, both of the laces look like they got coated in dirt after the boot was assembled.
Speaking of the upper leather, I got my pair in this very striking white-on-white color scheme. However, there are brown and black uppers available if the moon boot vibe isn’t what you’re looking for.
Mid- and Outsole
Moving down the WOA boot, you’ll find a single-piece midsole – available in white or black. Like the upper, the midsole focuses on function. You won’t find something over designed. Character lines are mostly limited to a slight bump around the heel.
On the bottom, two pieces of black rubber are nestled within the white EVA foam. The rubber features herringbone over most of the paneling, with larger blocks under the ball of your foot.
Summary
From a style perspective, the WOA boot aims to be a practical, work-focused boot. And if that is what you’re looking for, you should probably consider the black or brown. However, if you’re looking for something that will stand out, I suggest going for the white.
Look, at the end of the day these are comfort focused boots, not 1 inch thick leather logging boots. I suggest embracing it. Take what you would normally wear with casual white sneakers and bulk it up a bit to account for the chunkier aesthetic.
Or just wear scrubs.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
Nailing the fit is the reason for WOA existing, so this is an area where the WOA boots really need to deliver.
I was a little bit concerned at first. Ever since I started focusing on avoiding foot pain, I’ve really preferred a bit of extra room in my toes and nearly every time a brand has chosen my size they try to fit me into a half size too small. This even happened the last time I used WOA’s scanning technology.
This time? I have to say they nailed it. The fit is perfect with that little bit of extra toe room that I like.
Typically, in this section I’d give you advice such as “size up” or “these run wide” but considering these are custom designed for each foot there isn’t a conventional sizing system. You’re just going to need to trust WOA – though based on this pair I’d be 100% comfortable doing so.
You might be wondering how exactly they make a “semi-custom” last. While a lot of the specifics are proprietary, what WOA did share was that they have a number of different forefoot shapes that connect to a few different heel shapes. They are able to mix and match these different shapes in different sizes in order to find something that will be a near perfect fit for your foot.
Comfort
How does the WOA boot fit under foot? Pretty good.
Let’s get one thing out of the way – there are two kinds of comfort. If you’re looking for the newest innovation in foams, WOA isn’t competing there. The padding is just your standard EVA and while they give you two pairs of insoles (more on that in a bit) they actually come with the stiffer ones from the factory.
Instead, the WOA boot focuses on being supportive rather than squishy. They might not blow your mind when you first put them on, but if you are going to be on your feet all day – especially standing still for long periods – this type of supportive structure will help alleviate pain.
If you do find the from-the-factory set up a bit too structured, WOA includes a set of softer insoles you can swap in. I personally prefer the more structured option, but I could see how someone coming from a world of super soft sneakers might want to swap.
I’d be happy to wear the WOA boot all day in nearly any environment.
Materials
When it comes to the materials of the WOA boot, there really isn’t much to complain about.
The upper and the lining are both made from a full grain leather. It is definitely on the thinner side, but that is clearly a decision made to offer maximum flexibility for the upper. To help with durability, there is a thicker section sewn in behind the heel. At both the toe and the heel there are soft supports added.
Under foot you have two options. From the factory a cork and closed cell foam combo insole is installed. Unlike some cork insoles that are only a millimeter or two thick, these are substantial and will be able to take your foot’s shape. However, there is a substantial PU foam insole with gel pads you can swap in if cork isn’t your thing. WOA notes that the cork version is podiatrist recommended over the PU.
Below the insole is a slab of EVA foam with a nylon shank. No worries about metal detectors with these!
Finally, there is ASTM-certified rubber on the bottom. WOA decided to tuck the outsole inside of the midsole. Even though you can’t see it, the outsole is substantial and should last a long time – though I would have liked seeing them extend the rear of the rubber a bit further. You’re almost certainly going to eat through a chunk of the softer EVA before your heel starts striking the rubber pad.
How Much Do WOA Boots Cost?
All WOA boots and shoes come in at a price of $195, and can only be ordered through WOA’s website. $195 is certainly a premium price for a cemented boot, but considering the semi-custom lasting of these boots that isn’t an unfair price point. Similar designs from other companies are often significantly more.
To put it another way, the value of the WOA boots isn’t in the EVA foam or the cuts of leather. Instead, you’re paying for the individualized fit and the manufacturing complexities that come along with it.
The Verdict
To wrap everything up, the WOA boot offers a great way to address comfort for long days on your feet. While the quality checking could be improved given the defects in the leather and dirty laces, offering semi-custom lasts at this price point is hard to argue with.
The WOA boot, or shoe for that matter, is best for someone who is looking for support in their footwear but doesn’t need to lug around a logging boot that weighs 2 pounds everywhere they go. On the other hand, if you’re driving a desk five days a week, the semi-custom fit may be solving a problem you simply don’t have.
