Felt Boots & Wool Felt Sneakers

Felt boots and wool felt sneakers are a quiet way to stay warm in a cold city: a dense, textured upper of Italian felt, genuine leather where the shoe meets the pavement, and wool or soft flannel inside. This page brings together every Babylon model with a felt upper — the tall women's Cloud boots and the men's Alen-V sneakers. Each pair is made by hand at our family-owned factory, where we have been making shoes since 1997.

What is wool felt and why use it in shoes?

Felt is made by pressing and matting wool fibres together instead of weaving them. The fibres lock into a dense sheet full of tiny pockets of still air, and still air is what holds warmth. Because there are no threads, felt keeps its shape, can be cut and stitched cleanly and does not fray. It also has a texture you can see and feel: the Italian felt we use has a mélange look, with lighter and darker fibres mixed within one colour.

Felt is not leather and does not try to be. It is soft to the touch, light in the hand and gives a pair a calm, matt character. Where a shoe has to resist wear and wet ground, we combine felt with genuine leather and a hard-wearing sole.

Which felt boots and sneakers are there?

Felt boots for women: the Cloud line

Cloud are tall women's winter boots. The shaft is Italian felt, the foot is smooth genuine leather, and leather piping runs along the top of the shaft together with a buckled strap. Inside is a layer of Italian wool. An inside zip makes the boots easy to put on and take off, and the TPE sole is made for everyday winter wear.

The product pages list the season as autumn, winter and spring, so Cloud is a boot for the whole cold part of the year rather than for a few weeks of hard frost. The last is standard and true to size, so most people take their usual size. Cloud goes with a coat, a puffer jacket or a knitted dress: the brown-leather pairs look softer, the black-leather ones more graphic.

Wool felt sneakers for men: Alen-V

Alen-V is a minimal low sneaker with an upper made entirely of Italian felt and contrasting felt inserts. You choose the inner finish when you order — Italian wool or brushed cotton (a soft flannel also known as baika) — and both cost the same. The sole is hard-wearing TPE and the last is anatomical, shaped for comfort through a long day. Alen-V is also listed for autumn, winter and spring: a warm everyday sneaker for cool and cold dry days, the office and travel. For leather and nubuck pairs, see all men's sneakers.

How warm are felt boots?

The warmth comes from two layers working together: the felt itself, which traps air, and the wool or flannel inside. We do not give a temperature rating for these models, because their product pages do not state one. As a guide, felt suits cold city days and walks on cleared pavements. For long hours in deep snow, look at our sheepskin and shearling boots, where the wool stays on the skin, or the fur-lined women's winter boots.

How do you care for felt?

• Brush regularly. Remove dust and dry dirt with a soft clothes or shoe brush.
• Clean stains gently. Use a slightly damp soft cloth and a little wool-care product. Test it on a hidden area first, do not rub hard and do not soak the felt through.
• Dry at room temperature. Keep the pair away from radiators.
• Protect from moisture. If needed, use a water-repellent spray.
• Leather parts. Wipe smooth leather with a soft damp cloth and treat it with a matching smooth-leather cream.

Store felt shoes in a dry, ventilated place and fill the shafts or toes with paper or shapers so they keep their form.

How do you choose the right size?

Choose by foot length, not by the number you wear in another brand. Measure your foot in the evening, in the socks you plan to wear, and compare it with the table on the model's page. The Cloud table runs from 23.6 cm foot length for EU 36 to 26.9 cm for EU 41; the Alen-V table runs from 25.4 cm for EU 39 to 29.7 cm for EU 45. UK and US equivalents are in our size guide. Sizes that are not in stock are made to order within 3 business days.

Why buy felt shoes factory-direct?

Every pair is cut and stitched by hand at our family-owned factory by a team of 25 craftsmen and 2 shoe technologists. We sell straight from the factory, with no distributors or shops in between, so the price reflects the materials and the handwork rather than a chain of margins. Shipping is free worldwide; delivery and possible import duties are explained on Shipping & duties, and sending a pair back on International returns. To see how a pair comes together, read Our story.