Native Shoes - The hip solution to Crocs?

It's summer again in Taiwan! So it's super hot and extremely humid, meaning it will rain, a lot.  Which is not great for my sneakers and moccasins.  Actually one of my moccasins got drenched in the rain and is pretty ruined to my great sadness, since I really love that pair.  Therefore, I needed a pair of shoes that is resilient to water and is easy to wear without looking like a clown.  Naturally this means Crocs are miles away from my options.  Of course, living in Tainan, I could have just chosen to wear flip flops, but wearing that to work is just dread and is certainly not a feasible option.

By chance, I noticed a student of mine, wearing a pair of seemingly stylish deck shoes, without the laces, and in a material that resembled those of the dreaded Crocs.  What luck! I thought. Exactly what I needed, so I asked him about them.  It would seem they were a pair of Native Shoes, from a Canadian company.  The concept of Native Shoes is to produce a selection of classic casual shoe silhouettes, such as deck shoes, sneakers or boots, but using a lightweight water-resistant material.  Intrigued, I bought a pair of Native 'Howards' and was eager to try them on.

Native Shoes - Regatta Blue Howards

At first glance, there was a lot of holes around the shoe, which for some reason, conjured up images of someone shooting their own foot. However, I assumed this was for ventilation and for water drainage, in case I stepped into some deep puddles.  I tried them on, and they were initially quite tight, and not particularly comfortable, to be honest.  During this time I was quite skeptical about the comfort of the material and whether this was a decent alternative to Crocs.

However, after a few weeks, the material loosened up somewhat, as they finally broke in.  Now, it is far more comfortable and funnily enough, the shoe I select the most during the day.  For good reason, I suppose, since it has weathered a good deal of torrential rains, construction sites, beaches and tarmac, and I never have to worry about it getting dirty, wet or damaged.  While it's not the most comfortable pair of shoes I own, it is certainly one of the most practical and cheapest.  No wonder, more and more people are wearing them now.  So, is it a great alternative to Crocs?  Absolutely!