J´hayber: sporty and casual shoes for everyday wear

There are two ways to buy a sports shoe. One is to look for technical footwear for a specific sport; the other, far more common, is to look for something with the comfort of a trainer to be out and about all day. J´hayber is clearly in the second group, and understanding that avoids most of the disappointments. This guide goes through what the brand offers in the catalogue, which figures it publishes and what's worth knowing before you choose.

What "sporty" means in this catalogue

Its product pages say it in their own words: they describe a sports shoe, comfortable, with a sporty look and intended for everyday wear. They don't talk about running cushioning, drop or pronation, and that's valuable information: this isn't training footwear, it's town footwear built like a trainer.

The practical difference is what you plan to do with it. For getting to work and back, for a full day of errands or for travelling, a sporty town shoe often beats a closed shoe. For running fifteen kilometres, this isn't the section.

The two constants: width 8 and a medium-height sole

When a brand repeats the same numbers across different models, those numbers say more than any adjective. On the J´hayber pages that publish the figure, the same pair always appears: last width 8 and medium-height sole.

Width 8 is worth reading carefully, because it puts the brand on the narrow side of what the shop carries. A good part of the comfort footwear in the catalogue sits at widths 9, 10 or 11, so if you're coming from a wide-last shoe, this isn't the same ground.

• If your foot is narrow or average: width 8 fits without trouble.
• If you normally wear width 10 or 11: look twice before ordering your size.
• If you're unsure: compare with the width stated by the shoe you already wear — that's the only reliable reference.

The medium-height sole is the other constant: it's neither a flat canvas sole nor a platform. It's the height that spreads the load best when you walk a lot, without the shoe becoming heavy.

Laces on almost everything

The brand's dominant fastening is the lace, and its pages explain why with a sentence they repeat almost word for word: lace fastening lets you adjust to each wearer's preference for good fit and comfort. That's why a sporty town shoe with laces usually works better than one with elastics if you're genuinely walking: you can tighten the instep and stop the foot sliding forward.

In the catalogue those models are split between Lace Shoe and Lace-up shoes, the shop's two lace sections. There you'll see references like ZS61570, ZS61587, ZS61697, ZA61649 or ZA582633, all taking the same approach.

The velcro lives in Sport Shoe

There's one exception to laces, and it's neatly bounded: the brand's velcro models sit in Sport Shoe. The ZA61583 and the ZA61586, the latter in blue and in beige, describe a velcro fastening with the same logic as the laced ones — adjust to each wearer's preference.

That's useful if velcro is your requirement: you don't need to go through the whole brand, just look straight at that section. And if you want velcro on a dressier shoe, that's no longer this brand but the Velcro shoe section.

How it splits between women's and men's

There's a pattern here that helps you navigate, and you can check it in the catalogue itself: every reference starting with ZS sits in the women's lace section, while those starting with ZA appear on the men's side and in Sport Shoe. Knowing that clue saves a fair few clicks once you know which model you're after.

The split is fairly even between one section and the other, with a smaller group in the sport section. This isn't a niche brand within the shop: it covers both main sections with the same kind of product.

OLIMPO and what its pages don't say

Within the brand one name recurs across several references, OLIMPO, attached to models like the 60608-850 and the 63638-850. The first is described as a classic laced trainer; several of the brand's pages use exactly the phrase "a real classic".

And here comes the honest part, because it's worth saying: four of its pages have no description at all. Specifically the 51139-181, the 63638-875, the 63638-850 and the 51189-1 don't state materials, fastening, last or sole height. If one of those is the one you like, the sensible thing is not to assume it shares its siblings' figures but to ask before buying. When a page doesn't say something, that silence is information too.

Who they fit and who they don't

They fit well if you want a comfortable town shoe with a sporty edge, if your foot is average or narrow, and if you prefer a fastening you can adjust day to day. In three lines:

• Yes, if: you walk a lot around town, your last is average or narrow, and you want to be able to tighten the instep.
• Think twice, if: you wear width 10 or 11, because the figure stated here is width 8.
• No, if: you swap the insole for your own — this brand's pages don't state a removable insole — or you're after technical footwear for playing sport.

An honest note

Comfort, lace adjustment and sole height are characteristics of how the shoe is built, not medical treatments nor gains in sporting performance. A good sporty town shoe makes a day of many steps more bearable, but it doesn't correct anything. If you have persistent pain or a specific need, the sensible thing is to see a healthcare professional and, meanwhile, wear footwear that fits without pressing anywhere.

Conclusion

J´hayber is a coherent proposition and easy to sum up: sporty for town, width 8, medium-height sole and laces on almost everything, with velcro kept to Sport Shoe. If those four figures match your foot and your day, it's one of the most straightforward options in the catalogue. And if one of the models you're interested in is among those with no description, ask first: it's the only way not to buy blind.