Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule: Cooler Than The Other Side of the Pillow
Price: $199 [WolfandShepherd.com]
Why Buy?
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule offers a sophisticated style with Made-in-EU build quality and materials.
Why Avoid?
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule is not the most comfortable mule out there, and will be tough to keep clean.
Specs
| Model | Cruise Mule |
| Height | Mule |
| Materials | Suede / PU / TPU |
| Size | 12 |
| Weight | 448 g / 15.8 oz |
| Construction | Cemented |
| Country of Origin | Portugal |
History
Wolf & Shepherd as a brand have been around for a while. However, for the footwear they sell, there have been quite a few changes. The brand, launched by Justin and Hope Schneider, originally made traditional (if maybe a bit plain) blake-stitched footwear. Later, the brand put more of a designer flair – large chunky outsoles and similar.
More recently, however, they’ve been focusing a bit more on the casual market. This is best seen in their Cruise line. Specifically created to be footwear that works in the post-COVID pandemic world, the Cruise line was designed to be comfortable enough to act like a sneaker, while being dressed up enough to fit into the smart casual vibe.
And it has really taken off. Originally launching in three variants – a lace up and two mules – it’s now expanded to 7. And it’s expanding fast. They had just launched a model when I first started putting pen to paper, and another launched in the time I went from rough draft to final.
However, looking over the line, the Wolf & Shepard Cruise Mule is the one that stood out to me the most. Not only is it offered in the most colors, I think it best exemplifies the sort of vibe this line is supposed to represent. Nautical, relaxed, maybe a bit Mediterranean. If any sneaker can accomplish what Justin and Hope wanted to do, this would be it.
So, does it? Let’s dive in and find out.
Disclaimer: Wolf & Shepherd provided this pair of Cruise Mules for the purpose of review. However, this is not a sponsored review, and they were not able to review or edit any part of this review prior to it going live. Everything said below is my honest opinion of the pair.
Looks
Upper:
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule’s upper, like most mules, isn’t overly complicated. Made of a single piece of suede, it offers an extremely refined look. The stitching – well the 8 stitches on each shoe – is clean and well hidden.
The suede that the brand selected is a very short nap, with almost a nubuck appearance to it. I think the suede really suits this shoe’s coastal vibes, though most of the suede options come in a lighter color. You’ll need to be careful about stains. If you prefer, they do make a few leather versions, including one that is extremely similar to this pair. Those will be easier to keep clean. Though, again, I personally believe the suede is a better look.
Speaking of the suede, this is the Lunar Gray / Vanilla make up. The upper has a slightly more purple hue than the pictures on the website suggest, but I dig it. Very Fear-of-God feeling.
Inside, the sneaker is lined entirely with leather of a similar shade to the upper. Under foot, the insole matches the color again, though this time with a faux leather so that it can more easily attach to the rest of the insole. You’ll also find a navy “Wolf & Shepherd” tag here as well, though in the interest of comfort on the side of your foot, the sizing information is printed rather than on a tag.
Mid- and Outsole
Like the upper, the midsole of the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule is focused on subtlety. With a mostly flat-walled design, flair comes from a single character line along the midsole and the Wolf & Shepherd branding on the heel.
The flat sides are emphasized by a fairly high cut shape – just over 2 inches in the back.
I should flag, this is one of three colors that come with the “Vanilla” midsole rather than the pure white. Think a creamy off white. Again, I prefer this. It’ll do a better job of hiding the inevitable dirt you’ll get, and is a more sophisticated style. However, if you prefer a cleaner look, you can find a pure white in other make ups.
The bottom of the sneaker is an extremely textured outsole, with the lightning-bolt-esqe logo cut out of the middle. The texture is unique – think coarse sand. I like it a lot, though imagine under foot it may wear down to something smoother fairly quickly.
Summary
I really like the style of the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule. It’s plain, but that isn’t always a bad thing. It’s easy to imagine styling these with some lightweight pants and a pique polo at some after-beach drinks. I actually took these to a beach house to get some pictures for this, though the weather did not play ball.
Speaking of pants, while these work with shorts, I think the slightly elevated style does lead them towards something longer. Shorts are a bit too casual for the vibe and the collected vibe they initially have can come off as something a bit more like slippers.
Something like chinos or linen trousers really make these pop.
Alternatively, while not my personal style, I also believe these could work well with the Jerry Lorenzo Fear of God style. Things like looser joggers and hoodies in neutral earth tones.
Fit & Comfort
Fit
Getting the sizing right in something like a pair of mules is always hard. Go too big and they fall off your feet as you walk. Go too small and you never want to wear them.
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule fights somewhere between a traditional sneaker and a traditional dress shoe. Personally, my go-to sizes are 13 for a sneaker, 12D for a dress shoe, and 46 for something in EU sizing. Based on advice from the brand I got these in a size 12 (also labeled 45 EU).
This pair fits me great without socks, and can work well with thin dress socks. Sockless was how I intended to wear them, so it’s definitely the right size for me. However, wearing something like athletic socks from Adidas or Nike make them way too tight. If that’s your plan, I would suggest going with your standard sneaker size.
They do run slightly narrow. In light of that, if you’re in between sizes I would suggest going up rather than down.
Comfort
When it comes to comfort, the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule is pretty good, though does make some tradeoffs for the style.
The majority of the comfort comes from a fairly substantial drop in insole. This allows for the cool looking rubber cup sole, but does limit how much squish you can get. Wolf & Shepard do make the most of the space they have, using a number of different materials on the insole to get a tailored feel for different parts of the shoe.
On the plus side, the leather lining that they use feels great with or without socks and I have not had any issues with breathability during the time I’ve had them. When you first put them on you do notice the sewn in tag, but that goes away after the first couple of wears.
Overall, I probably wouldn’t pick these if I was going to be doing a lot of walking, but they are more than comfortable enough to wear out to a get together or for lounging around.
Materials & Construction
Materials
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule, being a simple design, is made of a few higher quality materials. First thing you’ll notice is the suede. This suede definitely leans more towards the durable side than the plush side. However, since it makes up basically the entire structure of the shoe, I’m not against it.
Lining that suede is calf leather designed for sockless wear. They don’t indicate which tannery specifically, but the leather and suede on the upper comes from Italy.
Under your foot, the drop in insole is by far the most complex individual piece in the shoe. Covered with a poly lining at the top, the core is a fairly dense closed cell foam. It feels like EVA, though the brand lists it as “Memory Foam” which means it’s probably a PU.
This closed cell foam is accented by two additional open-cell foam pods. One, a very soft one, under the ball of your foot, and another, a bit denser, directly under your heel.
This insole sits inside of a TPU cup sole, with a rubber compound added to the bottom for traction. The rubber is on the softer side for better grip, but TPU is often used for outsoles so even if it does wear through, the TPU will be fine hitting the ground.
Construction
Wolf & Shepherd used a cemented construction to build the Cruise Mule. That means the upper is glued directly to the outsole. Cemented construction is the most common way to built footwear, and offers great flexibility and water resistance. As for drawbacks, cemented construction can’t be resoled.
I should also add that Wolf & Shepherd makes their Cruise line in Portugal. Making shoes in a country with high labor standards, using at least some materials from another country with high labor standards, should be celebrated. This is not a cheap choice for the brand.
Ease of Care
Typically, I skip this section for cemented footwear. It’s mostly common sense stuff. However, with the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule, there was one item I felt I needed to highlight for anyone considering this sneaker.
Ask any podiatrist, and they’ll tell you that you should probably be tossing your shoes long before the rubber wears out on the outsole. The soft, internal foams break down much faster than the harder rubber and TPU used on outsoles. Continuing to wear them puts extra strain on your feet and knees.
That’s why I was excited to see that Wolf & Shepherd sell replacement drop in insoles. If the foams break down while the outsole is still in good shape, $40 gets you back up and running.
Unfortunately, they do only come in a tan-leather color, so you might lose a bit of that cool vibe these have going. Still, the health of your feet and knees is something you don’t want to gamble with.
Pricing
The Cruise Mule comes in at a price of $199, including free shipping. There is no price difference between the suede and leather models.
As far as comparisons go, I think the most obvious from a style perspective is the Fear of God California 2.0. While not exactly the same, they both carry that same sort of cool casual vibes – though those are $300 and made of EVA. They do make a leather version, but you’ll more than double the price to $700.
There are about 13 million generic mules out there, if you just want a slip-on shoe, but most of them go away from this sort of aesthetic.
Are the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule Worth It?
I love the styling of the Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule. It’s old money and streetwear at the same time, while being incredibly easy to slip on. They work with an upscale vibe, without looking try hard. Of course, it’s impossible to ignore that $200 is an elevated price for this sort of footwear. You’re definitely paying for the Made-in-EU leather and construction.
Still, at the end of the day, you’re getting something that feels designer in style. Similar looks cost much more, and this one is still different enough as to not feel like it’s a knock off.
The Wolf & Shepherd Cruise Mule is definitely worth checking out.