Please read the following - it will greatly improve the likelihood that you order the right size, first time.
Shoe sizing can be confusing, especially when you’re converting from a system you're familiar with to something foreign (e.g. US to European). The confusion isn’t helped by different shoe companies having different “fits” and by some countries having multiple size scales,(e.g. US where there are 4 different scales for adults, 2 for men and 2 for women).
All our sizes are European, on a single unisex scale, from 36 to 49. And we think it’s the most simple shoe size system around.
Rather than rely on size conversion charts like this, we urge you to MEASURE YOUR FOOT and directly find your European shoe size... and we encourage you to do this even if you're familiar with European sizes!
If you begin by finding out the length of your foot in cm (see here on how to do that) you can then calculate your European size, according to this formula
SIZE = 1.5 x (foot length in cm + 1.5)
That means, if your foot length is 28.5cm, you would add 1.5 to that, to give you 30. Before multiplying by 1.5 to give you a European Shoe Size of 45 (assuming you have a normal width of foot and a normal arch).
Some friends of ours did this and you can see the outlines of their feet here. They've also written which size of atheist shoe fit them best and, if you download the pdf and print it out (being sure that your printer is set to print with NO SCALING) then you can directly compare their feet with your own (just lay the outline you created for your foot directly above another outline and hold it up to the light).
Two of our friends had wider feet than average, and one of them a higher arch. For these reasons they felt more comfortable with a shoe one size bigger than their length would dictate.... so a 37 in length was more comfortable in a 38 and a 43 more comfortable in a 44. You can see their foot outlines here.
Overall, ATHEIST shoes fit very normally. Although it’s worth sharing some observations:
- Atheist Shoes are average in width, but they can cope with slightly wider than normal feet. HOWEVER, if your foot is wide, you might feel more comfortable going with 1 size bigger than your foot length dictates... you will likely know that your foot is wide if you have had problems in the past with the width of some shoes, although you are welcome to send us your width measurements / foot outline if you would like our opinions.
- If caught between 2 sizes (e.g. you measure as a 37.5) it comes down to a matter of personal preference as to whether you should go for the bigger or smaller size (38 or 37), but in general we find it is safer to go with the bigger size, especially if you are male. If you choose the smaller size, it may feel a little tight for the first wear, but the leather of the shoes will relax around the shape of your foot it may relax so much that the shoe becomes comfortable over time. This has worked for many of our customers caught between sizes, although a few have found the shoe too tight and have preferred to return it for the next size up. The safer option is to go for the bigger size, which will be more immediately comfortable and spacious... but the fit may not be as snug as the smaller size.
- Women may be used to buying slightly bigger sizes than they actually are, due to toe length on feminine, pointy shoes. So don't be surprised if your measured foot size is smaller than you expected. We find amongst our customers so far that women caught between two sizes tend to be happier going for the smaller size.
After all this, if your size doesn’t fit, you are of course welcome to exchange it for a different size. Again, we’re only a fledgling business and we can’t yet offer free shipping on returned goods (either from you to us or us back to you), but a little more spent on shipping is better than not being able to wear your shoes... so we do encourage you to ask for another size in the event you don’t get it right first time.
