This might get confusing.
The “Shambles” is a combination of Geoff Rowley’s former Pro Models, his first pro shoe on Vans, the “OG Rowley” and “the Sham“, which itself was a reworking of the Half Cab.
A lightweight low profile classic looking shoe, the most famous Vegan hunter in skateboarding’s 8th Vans pro model, the Shambles are quite similar to his previous offerings: they are light, padding is kept to a minimum and they are grippy with great board feel. Unfortunately, like all Rowley models I have had, their synthetic Vegan uppers dont last as long as you might like but I would imagine to your garden variety treehugger, that’s a small price to pay knowing that you haven’t peeled a cow for your footwear.
Visually they owe a lot more to the Originals than the Shams, which is definitely not a bad thing as I always thought the Shams looked secondary to the Classics as they had a much classier appearance and in my opinion were the better looking of the two.
Another thing in their favour is that unlike the Originals that I had a few years ago, which looked rad but, being Synthetic “Leather” they hardly lasted a month of half assed mobflipping, the Shambles I got were Synthetic Suede, which appears to be holding up a lot better. Although if your skating is flip heavy I would probably look for something made out of real leather.
In conclusion: a smart looking shoe that would be perfect as a pub chiller or if you are more into skating ramps. Maybe try Halfcabs or TNT’s if you want the classic styling but a bit more longevity but other than that they were a pretty solid shoe and definitely worthy of your feet this winter.
8/10
(These would easily be a 9 if they were real leather)
Billy Dickfingers