The Japanese shoemaker Kiichiro Ozeki has a background at Hiro Yanagimachi and Gaziano & Girling, but now he introduces his own bespoke shoe brand Fig. A new challenge where he for the first time will do all the steps himself, not only his famous bottom making, but also lasts and upper making. Fig now does its first trunk show in Japan.
Three years ago the Alfred Sargent brand went into liquidation, and from that the Paul Sargent brand emerged with the same factory, models, lasts and so on. Aim was to finally give a Sargent brand the attention it deserved, but sadly, things has not gone as planned. Now the factory in Rushden, Northamptonshire, is once again closed, and all workers have been laid off.
By popular demand, the Question and answer podcast special with Daniel Wegan of Catella is back for another edition. This time we talk workload, potential business expansions, what he would have changed from when he started his own business, and much more.
The New York Super Trunk Show was back for its second iteration the past weekend, with another great shoe day in the middle of Manhattan. 1,200 visitors coming to check out a bunch of shoe and menswear exhibitors from around the world, follow the U.S. shoe shining champs and other shoe happenings, and just have a good time. Substantial report from the day with lots of photos.
The Japanese shoe shine bar chain and shoe care brand Brift H, founded by the first world champion of shoe shining Yuya Hasegawa, is now part of the Japanese high-end fashion giant United Arrows. A great journey that started with Yuya being a street shoe shiner, and a testament to the importance the shoe shine industry has, not least in Japan.
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Here we will live stream two sessions from the New York Super Trunk Show today Saturday October 5. See live from the final of the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining, see the results of the shoe patina exhibition, and get a look at all the amazing shoe exhibitors from all over the world. Will also be available to watch after the live sessions.
This Saturday the second edition of the New York Super Trunk Show takes place. In a lovely venue on Manhattan, on Upper East Side between Madison Ave and Central Park, we’ll gather 15 exhibitors from all over the world, host a patina exhibition, a free shoe shining service, and the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining. Here’s some practical info ahead of the event, for those who plan to visit, and on the live streaming we will do for those who can’t attend.
Wildsmith was one of the classic British quality men’s shoe brands, started already in 1847, but it was a long time since it had a prime. The original company was liquidated in the early 2000’s, and after two unsuccessful resurrections it’s now time for the third attempt.
Shoes are made in pairs, that’s been the case throughout history. As such, they are expected to look the same as each other. Even the cheapest shoes have rather high demands of a sync between each other, and then of course the higher the price the higher the demand. For a pair of really expensive bespoke shoes it’s expected that they are more or less identical down to the smallest detail.
Time for the sixth edition of the World Championships of Shoemaking, where the final takes place during the London Super Trunk Show on May 10 2025. In the prize pool we have £6,000 (€7,200 / $7,800), handmade shoemaking awls, and a chance to be showcased in shoe stores around the world. This year a double monk strap is to be made for the competition. Here’s all the info about the contest.
