GORAL レビュー 

Received my Smugs today, got the ones available through John Lewis with CF Stead leather, much cheaper than the horween leather ones on Gorals own site. Hard to imagine horween leather being worth £100 more than CF Stead leather. I am very pleased with the presentation and quality. Comfortable from the instant they were first worn. So far very happy.

It’sa mystery. Scored burgundy bison sneaks. It feels like I’m wearing socks. Absolutely magnificent.

Very well made pair of minimal trainers. They will last a long time. Good quality leathers. Plus after sale team is also amazing, especially Katie

The shoes are well-made using good materials, and both customer service and the return process work smoothly; however, sizing is inconsistent between pairs, and the updated size chart and sizing recommendations do not seem reliable.

Gem of a company in Sheffield - incredibly happy with my order and the customer service was top notch!!

Unreliable. Zero customer service. Late responses never followed up. Still without these pricey and paid for shoes 12 week later. No information. Promises not kept. Great pity but I do not think I could risk another purchase.

I really wanted to like this company, but until they can sort themselves out I would not recommend them. I ordered some shoes and they arrived after a couple of months but in the wrong size. I sent them back for an exchange and essentially nothing happened. When I chased them there were superficially plausible answers, but put together they must have been made up.

"we needed to order more leather" or "soles still need to be dispatched" etc etc

After five months with no shoes and multiple chasing emails I've cancelled my order. I haven't received a refund - I hope I don't need to get my credit card company involved.

So I placed my order for a pair of Smugs 2.0 High Top Horween Natural on 6th of February. I received the shoes on the 6th of April, a solid 2 months of waiting, but I didn't complain, handmade shoes after all...
After unboxing the shoes immediately looked a bit off, their shape lacked uniformity, but handmade shoes after all...still no complaint.
The main issue is that the sole is uneven, which makes the shoes unfit for wear.
Customer service adises to take out the insole...
Apart from the defect: the Horween leather is fantastic, way too thick for a "sneaker", though. The top is too high, it's more like a boot, not a high-top sneaker.
Conlcusion: for anyone who looks for high quality (not highly overpriced) sneakres: JAK and KOIO are the brands to go for.
Read the bad reviews: quality issues, customer service issues, long shipping time, impossible returns... that's not what you want when you're shopping for a 400 USD/EUR sneaker.

After finally receiving my Bruxton Brass Wire boots and spending some time trying them on, I can honestly say they are the most comfortable boots I have ever owned straight out of the box.
The fit is absolutely perfect, like they were made specifically for my feet. The leather quality is outstanding, and the level of craftsmanship is exactly what you hope for when you invest in a handmade boot.
I have nerve damage on the bottom of my right foot, so comfort is something I take very seriously. What really surprised me is how the natural shape and flex of these boots have actually made them more comfortable for me compared to my Red Wing Iron Rangers. I expected a break-in period, but from the very first wear they felt incredible.
Yes, the six-month wait was difficult at times, but now that they are here I can say without hesitation that the wait was 100% worth it. I would rather wait for a pair of boots made to this exceptional standard than receive something rushed.
The only thing I would love to see in the future is an 8-inch version with a higher lace pattern and more eyelets, because I would buy a pair immediately.
I am genuinely glad I didn’t cancel my order or ask for a refund during the wait, because I would have missed out on the finest pair of boots I have ever owned. These are not just boots—they are a true piece of craftsmanship, and they have earned a lifelong customer.

I had make an exchange. They did everything they could to accommodate my needs. Thank you to Ilyana.

Everything was easy. Shoes came out in amazing condition and build; I've never bought an expensive pair of shoes before, only boots, so this was a new experience for sure. Pre-order lead times wouldn't terrible either, I got antsy and excited, but never felt the wait was too long to justify.
Definitely would be buy from Goral again if I can find something I like and budget well enough lol

I've bought quite a few pairs of shoes from Goral, the shopping experience is easy, the products are 100% worth the wait every time.

This seems to be a regular thing with this company, but I ordered the Baslow Chelsea Boot in Horween Chromexcel Forest Green on February 17, 2026. I am writing this at 112 calendar days and 76 UK working days from order placement with no boots and no tracking number.

The timelines
The FAQ quotes 25 to 30 working days. The auto-reply system quotes 35 to 40. When the leather was delayed, Ilyana revised my order to 35 to 40 working days, noting that had been their standard "until early February" — just before I ordered. Three different timelines, none of them met. At 76 working days I am more than double their stated maximum.

Five missed commitments
Mid-April completion. End of April dispatch. Dispatch prioritized the week of May 4. First week of June dispatch. Each passed without delivery and without proactive communication. Every update came only after I followed up.

The accuracy of those updates
On April 9 I was told the boots were "awaiting lasting — the final step." Lasting is not the final step. On May 4 I was told all Forest Green pairs were finalized, packaged, and in QC. Nine days later Ilyana contradicted this herself, stating QC had not started. On May 27 an automated email stated the boots were in the stitching stage seven weeks after being told they were past it. Was told this was due to a "malfunction".

A pattern worth understanding
The made-to-order model requires full payment upfront, which is standard and reasonable. What follows is worth understanding before you commit. An optimistic six-week timeline secures your payment before the reality becomes clear. When that deadline passes, a new one is issued with an apology. The apology feels like accountability but carries no consequence. By the time three or four deadlines have passed, most customers have invested enough time, energy, and follow-up effort that cancellation feels worse than continuing to wait. This is a well-documented consumer psychology mechanism called the sunk cost trap — the more you have already invested, the harder it becomes to walk away, even when every rational signal says you should. The made-to-order model is structurally well suited to this dynamic, whether by design or by accident.

What I am not saying
Goral's craftsmanship appears genuine based on other reviews and the materials specified. This is not a quality complaint. If the boots arrive and are well made I will update this review.
This is a complaint about production timeline honesty and customer communication. The real window is closer to five months than the six weeks quoted. Go in knowing that.
Update pending.

I cannot recommend Goral based on my experience.

In September 2025, I placed a pre-order for a pair of Buxton Brass Wire Boots. I understood that the lead times would be long and was prepared to wait. What I was not prepared for was the lack of communication, repeated missed deadlines, and the difficulty of obtaining a refund once I finally decided to cancel.

The order ended up running approximately three months beyond the original estimated delivery date. Throughout the process, I received no meaningful proactive updates and had to repeatedly contact Goral myself to find out what was happening.

Various explanations were provided for the delays, including supplier-related issues and production problems. Whether those explanations were valid or not ultimately became beside the point. As a customer, I ordered from Goral, not their suppliers, and the responsibility for communication and order management remained with them.

After losing confidence in the order, I accepted Goral's offer of a refund. Unfortunately, the refund process became a problem in its own right. The initial refund failed, multiple deadlines were missed, and I was repeatedly assured that the matter would be resolved "soon." Only after escalating the matter through Klarna, preparing legal action, and publicly documenting the issue was the refund finally sent.

Even then, the refund was processed in a manner that left me financially worse off due to fees and currency conversion effects. Goral publicly acknowledged the remaining shortfall and offered to reimburse it. I contacted them regarding the difference and provided the requested information. As of writing this review, no reimbursement has been received and my subsequent attempts to follow up have gone unanswered.

This is particularly disappointing because by that stage the amount involved was relatively small compared to the original order value. The issue was no longer the delay or even the refund itself, but whether commitments made to the customer would actually be honoured.

The most frustrating part of this experience was not the delay itself. Delays can happen, especially with smaller manufacturers and made-to-order products. The real issue was the repeated lack of follow-through. Deadlines were missed, commitments were not honoured when promised, and progress generally only occurred after additional chasing and escalation.

Throughout the process, I remained patient, polite, and willing to work toward a reasonable solution. Unfortunately, patience and goodwill were rarely met with the same level of follow-through.

Potential customers should understand that if something goes wrong with an order, patience alone may not be enough. Be prepared to document everything and actively follow up.

Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Goral.

Love your shoes when they fit - the sizingn seems to be a little all over the place - have a pair of the high tops in 8.5 reg and they fit perfect - Then I purchased a pair of the mystery box in 8.5 reg and they are too tight, problem is I cant send them back to correct. also have 2 other pair and they fit differently as well.

Hello guys, my feeling is (100%)
work is first
materials second
and third is the love for the job,
you are producing the beautiful products, thank you very much

Shoes came in and I was amazed by the quality. Never seen sneakers with amazing materials like this.

I'm looking for alternatives to my existing UK footwear manufacturer which has been running into a few quality control issues lately, The Goral "Mystery Box" at £150 (now increased on-site to £160) seemed a chance to sample Goral without committing twice that amount.
For an assumed off-the-shelf product - the item was promoted as a workshop sample - the shoes took over a fortnight to arrive. During that time the order progress on the website never changed - which is little frustrating. In fact, the site still says "It's on its way" nearly a month after they arrived!
The "Mystery" item itself - a pair of green suede sneakers - are fine in themselves. I wouldn't have chosen them but a "Mystery box" is just that and there is some fun in guessing what will arrive. I did specify wide fit but the shoes are barely that and, indeed, run a little small lengthwise. The sneakers seem well made, are surprisingly good-looking and I'm coming to terms with the colour. Hopefully, the fit will sort itself out over time but, overall, I'm not sure whether I'm going to make Goral my go-to brand. Perhaps, in hindsight, I should have gone for a "Mystery Box" as a bonus AFTER ordering a full-price, (specifiable, and returnable if necessary) item.

Excellent product and communication step by step. Wonderful experience and I'll purchase again.