Welcome to Is This Shoe OK?, an infrequent column about shoes that may or may not be good, as determined by me—an authority, because I own shoes—and you, in the comments. In today’s installment, we’re looking at Disney’s $89.95 “The Mandalorian Orange Child Pattern Espadrilles,” complete with Baby Yoda print.
Baby Yoda looks delicious. If I had the opportunity to eat Baby Yoda, I would. Most of the Jezebel staff disagrees. They think it is cute. I do not. I think it would partner well with veggies and a hearty root, like yuca. Keeping that in mind, I am perhaps not the best person to judge the value of Disney’s $89.95 “The Mandalorian Orange Child Pattern Espadrilles,” complete with Baby Yoda print, and yet, I’m the only one brave enough to do so. Let’s begin.
According to the Shop Disney website, these espadrilles are in the style “Ubuntu Afridrilles,” meaning they are espadrilles “100% made in Africa” by “UBUNTU Mums in Maai Mahiu, Kenya.” Ubuntu, the description reads, is an organization that creates jobs and contributes to “health and education programs” in Kenya. For that reason, I cannot fault Disney for selling these homemade kicks for $90. I can fault them for making a profit off of the labor of these women, but that’s a conversation for another time. For now, only aesthetics concern me.
These shoes are bright orange. I like that. I assume the upper is made of canvas or cotton. I like that, too. The sole is probably made of esparto rope in true espadrille style, and that’s wonderful. But for nearly $100, is this shoe worth it? Like, will pop cultural obsession with Baby Yoda endure long enough to make this purchase worthwhile? I don’t think so. Nothing anyone enjoys lasts anymore. I think this shoe is OK only in that it provides necessary aid to Kenyan families, or so it promises. Otherwise, these shoes are not OK. They’re not bad, but they’re not good. They’re merely fine. I’m apathetic towards them, which is a death sentence in the shoe business.
Think that’s too harsh? Great. As always, it is time to hear from you, dear Jezebel reader. Are these shoes okay? Are you ordering them for your niece right now? How does 14-year-old Greta feel about espadrilles, anyway? Are they the “it” shoe around middle school? Tell me why I’m wrong; it keeps me alive.