Quick Take: Reviewing Moral Code’s Alec Leather Lace Up Sneakers

Here’s my quick review on my now not-so-new Alec leather lace-up sneakers from menswear startup Moral Code:

I don’t do casual very well. Modern Fellows’ features tend to focus on business and business casual dress because that’s what I wear day in and day out.

But since it’s silly to wear leather dress shoes to, say, your daughter’s soccer game or a backyard barbecue, I’ve started to become more intentional about casual clothes and shoes.

Enter Moral Code.

Laura Engerman and Mark Kohlenberg launched the Moral Code brand in 2017 under an umbrella company called the Well Dressed Man, which also produces under license for Robert Talbott. They bring significant experience working at the likes of Allen Edmonds, Clarks and Florsheim.

Moral Code offers a range of really attractive looking shoes and trainers.

Their leather sneakers are particularly eye-catching, featuring unique, richly-colored leather and a thick white stripe around the soles.

What made me finally pull the trigger was the fact that Moral Code’s sneakers were available via Amazon, and I was able to include them in a Prime Wardrobe box to try with no obligation.

(Read more about Amazon’s Prime Wardrobe and Prime Fashion Brands for men.)

They arrived unscathed in a snazzy-looking black shoebox with shoe protectors, which was a nice touch.

I selected the blue leather, though it was a tough choice as Moral Code’s red leather lace-ups look particularly stunning.

The kicks sport leather throughout the entire upper, foot-bed and lining. They also feature ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), a synthetic material that absorbs shocks, in the soles.

The verdict?

The Alec’s are soft and super-comfortable.  The leather has held up to repeated wear and shows no signs of cracking.

The one challenge is keeping the white stripe clean, which attracts dirt, though that’s proven easier than keeping another pair of all-white leather sneakers clean.

Moral Code’s Alec lace ups have been a fixture of my weekend wardrobe ever since I received them and the company is now one of Modern Fellows’ favorite places to buy leather sneakers online.

I’d buy them again in a heartbeat (and one day might pick up that red pair).

Update: Sadley, the Alec sneakers are no longer available on Moral Code’s website.  Check out Moral Code’s other shoes and leather sneakers instead.