Weston Kay is a leathercrafter who specializes in footwear teardowns, slicing and dicing shoes and boots to expose how well-made (or not) they are. This video seems a good introduction to his channel, showing up the cheap materials a $425 Common Projects sneaker is made from.
Common Projects Achilles Low White Sneaker Review - The Common Projects shoes are allegedly the highest quality sneakers in the world, so I bought a pair to cut in half to review the leather quality, see how it's built, and to see what's inside the Achilles Common Projects.
It's not a bad shoe, and there are some clever design features to make it more comfortable. But it's more than five times the price of similar-quality products, and perhaps a good example of value couched in the most superficial elements of branding and design.