The Bloodline - Nathan Lane

When we launched our Bloodline campaign for Black Friday, we wanted to celebrate the people who make GORAL what it is: our customers. Nathan is one of those people, a loyal supporter who has worn GORAL for nearly three years and collected ten pairs. He joined us at our Sheffield shoot to style our limited Blood Core releases, sharing his insights on what makes GORAL special.

How long have you been following or wearing GORAL?

I’ve been following and wearing GORAL shoes for nearly three years now.

What’s your favourite GORAL style and why?

Hard to choose just one. As far as style goes, the Mellor is way up there, or any shoe you make that has the same structure, like the Skelton. The Mellor is my favourite because it’s so versatile; it goes with almost any outfit. I also like seeing the Mellor in different leathers and colours.

What makes GORAL different from other shoes you own?

The durability, build quality, and clean, classic designs. I used to wear Nike, Clarks, and Converse, but I got tired of my shoes falling apart within a year or two. GORAL solved that problem by using durable materials, exceptional craftsmanship, and best of all the ability to resole the shoe.

What do you think of the Blood Core designs, and which were your favourites from the day?

My favourite of the Blood Core designs was the Mellor II. Although the idea of a farmer wearing Blood Core Chelsea boots did make me laugh!

The additional red detailing on the Mellor really made the design look polished and well thought out. I also thought the Blood Core Muggs looked great with the Vibram outsole.

If you could create your own GORAL sneaker, what would it look like?

I’d love to see Blood Core in different colours. For example, instead of black and red, maybe something like midnight blue with sandstone gold, or colours inspired by nature, like the shades of a blade of grass through the seasons, from dried yellow to green.

Alternatively, I think a wool shoe would be interesting. I like Pendleton’s crossover series where they collaborate with shoe companies and use their patterned wool as the outer shell. Unfortunately, most of those collaborations don’t meet the quality standard of GORAL, so I’d love to see you do your own take on that idea.

What made you want to come along to the shoot, and what was your favourite part of the day?

I wanted to see what GORAL had been working on, especially how the Mellor turned out with the Blood Core design. The surprise of the day was definitely the Bradwell WW1 replica boot, that’s a damn good-looking boot, and it fits perfectly into the GORAL collection.

My favourite part of the day was meeting everyone, seeing how other people style their GORALs, and chatting about different brands, clothes, and lifestyles.