*There are a lot of variables that make a shoe comfortable. Not everyone has the same feet and not all the lasts and styles will work for everyone. When in doubt I always recommend getting in touch with the brand. This is my review and experience with both the Funäs and Duved II boot.
As the weather cools, the boots come out. Leave it to the swedes from Myrqvist to sort it out. These will be my first impressions of their Funäs and Duved II boots from their collection. The Funäs is leading the charge in their boot campaign but an updated Duved II is also definitely worth a look.
Both the Funäs and Duved II are cemented constructed boots. Both boots are on Last 12 and are made in Portugal.
The first thing that caught my attention while unboxing was that Myrqvist actually updated their shoe boxes. These boxes feel more premium and definitely match the quality of the shoes better. This however brings up another issue.
the new boxes make the lack of dust bags even more apparent. I brought this up to Myrqvist directly and they told me they just finished designing their dust bags for low shoes and that all classic shoes are now delivered with dust bags!
It's probably safe to assume that the boot dust bags will also eventually make an appearance.
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| A sneak peek at the new classic shoe dust bags |
Out of the 2 boots, the Funas definitely makes more of an impression. It's not your usual laced-up boot and it is even shearling lined. Designed for Sweden in mind, I’m sure that shearling lining will keep the wearer’s feet warm wherever they may be around the world.
Design wise it is a very sleek looking boot given it’s made of one piece of leather.
The Portuguese tanned Country Calf leather gives the boots depth as the color can change depending on the angle of light. It’s almost like something you’d see in a cyberpunk movie like Blade Runner yet in theory the one piece leather boot might be considered more formal like a one-piece leather Oxford shoe is. (This is definitely something I will have to test in a suit)
The only thing breaking the silhouette of the shoe is the zipper enclosure.
I can definitely see this boot not just appealing to the usual classic menswear market but also to the more fashion forward market. Yohji Yamamoto and The Row have previously released a zip boot in the past and they seem to be making a big comeback lately.
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| Myrqvist even included a leather pull tab on the zipper for ease of use. |
This is where the Funäs differs. It still has a chunky sole with deep grooves but the new Hiking soles from Myrqvist are incredibly light. The best way I can describe them is to compare them to the usual Vibram wedge soles you find on Redwings or Thorogood boots.
The boot is fully shearling lined and the insole is removable. (Perfect for people like me that need orthotics and want to place the orthotic under the shearling insole rather than on top.)
In terms of finishing the shoes have no marks or loose stitches. The leather also has no scratches or blemishes which is even more important given this is a one piece boot. The zipper moves up and down freely with no snagging.
It will be interesting to see what outfits will go with this boot.
DUVED II
The Duved II is Myrqvist takes on the classic alpine boot and this year they updated them with the same light Hiking soles on the Funäs.
Opening the box, I was greeted by orange contrast laces. It’s a nice touch that the orange of the laces is also very similar to the orange that Myrqvist uses for their new shoe boxes.
This boot was clearly designed around being water repellant.
The boot is made from Charles F Stead English tanned water repellant suede leather.
The water tongue ensures water can not get in through the usual tongue opening and the water proof lining ensures that even if the leather gets saturated, that your feet will remain dry. I will definitely have to give that a try next time it's pouring in Milan or I will have to find a body of water to soak my boots in.
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| water tongue keeps the boot water repellant. |
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| no exposed hardware on the inside of the boot |
In terms of finishing there is not much to add compared to what I said about the Funäs.
Stitching is clean, no signs of loose or fraying thread, and no signs of glue marks. The leather also has no scratches or scuffs.
Both boots would be solid additions to anyone's wardrobe. The Funäs boot is particularly interesting especially when you take in to the consideration the potential for experimentation.
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