 I'm Brian Sakawa, you're watching He Spoke Style, and today we are comparing two minimal leather sneakers, the Coyote Capri Triple White, and the Common Projects Original Achilles. Let's get to it. So I'm focusing on these two brands, which are in a higher price category. Obviously, the Common Projects Achilles is the sneaker that everyone's always looking for a lower priced, similar quality alternative to. There are lots of sneaker brands out there that do issue like this. I've only tried a handful. However, if you want an incredibly thorough, insightful, fair, and honest comparison of nearly the complete range of minimal white leather sneakers, we're talking from the $60 Stan Smiths all the way up to the $400 plus dollar Common Projects. I highly recommend checking out my friend John's video over on the Cavalier. He's done a few of them. I'll link to them down below. I've worn Common Projects for seven years now. I've owned three pairs in that seven years. The pair you'll see today in this video are pretty much brand new. So I would say I get three to three and a half years out of a pair, and that's with very heavy frequent wear. I'll be honest and say that I've never really actively searched for a lower priced alternative. I absolutely love the first pair of Common Projects that I owned. They were comfortable. They lasted a very long time, great quality, and I love the silhouette and the style. And once I find something that I like like that, and it's high quality, I'm totally willing to pay the price for that particular item. Now that doesn't mean that you can't find something similar of similar or equal quality at a lower price, and that's what we're going to talk about right now. So why are Common Projects $400 plus dollars? Well first, Common Projects is a luxury brand. So you pay that luxury premium or that luxury tax, if you will, for the name. So there's a markup because of that, and there's a markup because they don't sell them themselves. They sell them through other luxury retailers like Mr. Porter, Sents, Farfetch, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue. The brand needs to make money, the retailers need to make money, so the price gets marked up. Third, they're high quality. High quality materials, great construction, and you're paying for that too. Enter the direct to consumer brands of which Coyo is just one of many. By cutting out the middleman, meaning the retailer, and selling directly to you, brands like Coyo are able to offer a similar quality product at a much lower price point. So how do these pairs stack up? The Coyo Capri Triple White and the Common Projects Original Achilles? Let's take a closer look. So what I'm going to do here is to go through all the details of the Coyo Capri Triple White, and then all the details of the Common Projects Original Achilles. We'll talk about the similarities between the two. I'll point out the differences. We'll do a full comparison side by side. And then finally, I'll give you my opinion about which I think is better. All right, the Coyo Capri Triple White. Coyo, the brand founded in 2015, so relatively new, by two German sneaker enthusiasts. The shoe is made by hand in the Marque region of Italy. It's constructed with a Vitello calf leather, which is known for its smooth feel and durability. Lining is leather. It's a soft Italian calf leather for most of it, and then a suede finish in the heel cup. Wax cotton laces. It has a margom sole, very durable and lightweight. Hand painted edges. There is Coyo branding on the heel, on the tongue, and on the sole. Available in U.S. sizes 7 through 13, no half sizes, and priced at $248. Now we're looking at the Common Projects Original Achilles. The brand launched in 2004 as a collaboration between two guys, Flavio Girolami and Prothan Pupat. It's a New York-based company. The shoe itself is manufactured in the Marque region of Italy, made with an Italian Napa leather that is hand stitched. Lining is leather as well with a suede finish in the heel cup. Cotton laces. Margom sole. No branding to speak of other than inside the footbed. And then you do have the numbers in gold on the side of the shoe back near the heel. Those three sets of numbers correspond to the style number, the European size, and the color number. Available in European sizes 37 to 46, priced at $410. Let's take a look at some of the similarities now. Number one, the style. These shoes have basically the same exact shape, profile, and silhouette. From the side, they look similar. From the top, they look similar. Even from a short distance, they look pretty much exactly the same. Next, they both have the Margom sole. It's lightweight, it's durable, and it's become that sort of gold standard among sneakers in this class. Third similarity is that both of these shoes are extremely comfortable. In my experience, they do take a little bit of time to break in. It is leather, after all, but after they are broken in, the leather is very supple and they feel great on the feet. Now on to the differences. The first and biggest difference, obviously, is the price. Coyotes are $248, Common Projects $410. Over a $160 difference, it's the price you pay for luxury and not being direct to consumer. These shoes are very similar, however, there are some small differences in terms of the details. On the toe box, you can see there's a slight difference in the angle of the leather coming down. The Coyotes are straighter and the Common Projects have a little bit of a curve to them. From the side, on both sides, actually, the Coyo has an extra piece of leather, whereas the Common Projects just has some stitching. You can make a case that it's more minimal, perhaps, with just the stitching. At the top of the tongue, the Common Projects has a little more padding and the Coyo does not. The Coyo does, however, have more padding around the ankle than the Common Projects. And then on the heel, you can see a larger piece of leather on the Coyo than on the Common Projects. And then also a little extra strip running down, where, again, the Common Projects is just stitched. Laces, fairly similar, though the Coyo laces are wider than the Common Projects. Branding, significantly more branding on the Coyo than the Common Projects. You have the Coyo logo on the heel, sole, and underneath the tongue. And then on top of the tongue, you have their little graphic logo. Common Projects has a logo inside the shoe on the footbed, and then, of course, the gold numbers on the side. Sizing. Now, I found a slight difference between the two. Now, both of these shoes are a European size 42, but as you can see, the Common Projects are slightly, and I mean very slightly, longer than the Coyos. Same goes for the width, but here we have the Coyos being slightly wider. And when I say slightly, I mean like half a millimeter. And finally, the weight. There is a weight difference. Coyos are slightly heavier than the Common Projects. Coyos weigh in at 514 grams. That's 18.1 ounces or 1.13 pounds. And the Common Projects are 491 grams. That's 17.3 ounces or 1.08 pounds. Not saying you can feel a difference, but one shoe is heavier than the other. Full comparison now, side by side, head to head. Coyos on the left, Common Projects on the right. Starting with where they're produced. Now, both of these shoes are produced in the Marque region of Italy. Construction. Both use Italian leather. The Coyos use a Vitello calf leather. Common Projects use a Napa leather. I will say, though, that the two leathers feel pretty much exactly the same. Maybe the Common Projects is a little bit smoother, but not a huge noticeable difference if there is any at all. Soul. Both have the Margem Soul. Style and aesthetics. It's the same profile. There are some very minor stylistic differences, but I'm going to say they both score points here, and we're going to call it a tie. Branding. There is more branding on the Coyos, but one could argue that it's more subtle than the gold numbers on the Common Projects. Comfort. Both shoes are very comfortable tied there as well. Price. No comparison here with the Coyos at 248 and the Common Projects at 410. Coyo definitely comes out in front. Now the big question is, which is better? The Coyo Capri Triple White or the Common Projects original Achilles? I'm not here to tell you how to spend your money, and the concept of what is better, especially in this case where, as you can see, the shoes are so comparable, really becomes a little subjective. Price aside. On that note, if you want the style of sneaker, the white leather minimalist sneaker, and you are trying to decide between the Coyo and the Common Projects, but price is a concern, I would buy the Coyo Capri Triple Whites without hesitation. You are getting a premium product that is exceptionally similar to the higher priced Common Projects. If price is not a concern, the decision is really up to you. They're both great sneakers. As we've established in this video, they're both similar. There are some very subtle stylistic detail differences. You are getting a little bit more of that luxury brand experience and quote unquote status with the Common Projects. You'll just have to weigh whether that is worth $160 extra dollars for you. No judgment. I've had three pairs of Common Projects. I have and wear the Coyo Capri Triple Whites. I've worn sneakers by M-Gemi and Suit Supply, which are also similar. Bottom line is that either one of these shoes is a great pick. What you need to decide for yourself is how much are you willing to spend? So what are your thoughts about Coyo versus Common Projects? Have you tried both of them? Are you on the fence? What do you think are the pros and cons of each? Leave those comments down below. If this video helped you in any way, please give it a thumbs up. Don't forget to subscribe to the channel and hit the bell for notifications every time we publish a new video. Until next time, thanks for watching and stay tailored.