My first pair of Bundeswehr German Army Trainers

One of the most popular shoes among the men’s fashion community the past few years has been Maison Margiela’s iconic “GATs”. They are popular because their design is simple, understated, and complements tons of outfits. They are versatile enough to go with most outfits, but they have more flair than a pair simple monochromatic low tops (e.g. Common Projects Achilles Lows).

“GATs” actually stands for German Army Trainers — the military-issue sneakers used by the Germany Army. The original Margiela GATs were actually vintage pairs that Margiela updated and shipped to stores. Nowadays, military supplier Bundeswehr still produces these shoes for the German army, and you can find vintage pairs for <$100 USD. Since I can’t afford to buy a pair of iconic MMM GATs, I decided to take a chance and buy a pair of bundeswehr GATs (I proxied mine from a man in Germany via Grailed). Here’s my takeaway after wearing them for a few months:

Quality: 7/10

The leather is pretty poor quality patent leather, comparable to stan smiths, albeit a bit thinner. The suede detailing, gum sole, and leather are all pretty easy to clean and seem durable enough for a pair of trainers. I found that the leather cracked easily around the side panels, but it wasn’t noticeable at all on feet. No real complaints here — I think that you get what you pay for.

Design: 8/10

The design is nice and slim, but they lack some of the features that I like about the MMM GATs. Most importantly, they lack the suede side panels. They also lack suede eyelets, and the placement of all of the panelling is slightly different. This is good enough for me, but if you really want the MMM silhouette and design I wouldn’t get these.

Comfiness: 9/10

I think that the shoes feel great. They don’t make me blister or make my feet hurt after wearing them all day. They don’t provide a ton of support, but they work perfectly for me since I have pretty slim feet. Comparing them to my Stan Smiths and Common Projects, they have a very slim profile, and I would recommend sizing up if you have wider feet. I think that the provided insoles are very comfortable, but they could be a bit thicker.

I’d say they’re comparable to Stan Smiths in terms of quality and durability, except they have a slimmer silhouette and (obviously) design differences.

Styling

I tend to wear these shoes in place of white sneakers in simple outfits. The design is understated enough to work in a variety of fits, ranging from streetwear to casual menswear. Here are a few looks I wore with them in the past few weeks:

Look Number One

Look Number Two

Look Number Three

Look Number Four

Conclusion

I’ve owned these for a few months, and they have help up really well. In my opinion, they are worth the price. If you like vintage pieces then these are a great alternative to MMM GATs.

If you’d like to buy your own pair, you can usually buy them from Bundeswehr surplus or have someone proxy a pair for you on Grailed. Good luck!

If you want to see more outfits with my GATs, check out my Instagram! I’ll be posting a lot more summer outfits in the next few weeks.