The web tip – The Prologue

There are several really good blogs about classic men’s style and shoes in Asia that are excellent sources of knowledge about the manufacturers on the continent. Unfortunately, the vast majority are written in Japanese or Chinese, which makes them more inaccessible even in these Google Translate times. The newly established Hong Kong-based blog The Prologue who is writing in English is a shining exception.

Close-up of a shoe from Clematis Ginza.

Behind the blog are three clothing and shoe entusiasts. Although the blog The Prologue was launched just over a month ago, it has already published three reports (in addition to several other about clothing manufacturers) from visits to three highly interesting bespoke shoemakers in different parts of the world. The Hong Kong-based Japanese Masuru Okayama, Italian Roberto Ugolini (who comes to the Shoegazing Super Trunk Show in Stokcholm in about a month, more info about that here) and Japanese Keitaro Takano alias Clematis Ginza. All three posts are the first installment in series that follows orders from the three different bespoke makers. It’s a bit extra fun when you can compare the different ones “next to each other” like this, three that does the same thing but in very different ways.

Finished shoes tested with Roberto Ugolini.

The texts are as mentioned written in English, a good one, and as you often see on many blogs the tone is a bit too grand in my eyes, still on the right side of the edge here though and it’s not all gold and glory. The quality of the pictures are really good, and for real shoe nerds it’s always interesting to see pics from the various workshops and work in progress.
Hopefully they will continue to post interesting articles with much behind-the-scenes material, and style and shoe interested have with The Prologue a new bastion in the Internet world to lean on.

Shelf with sample shoes at Clematis.

Clean lines from Masuru Okayama.

Okyama use the insole to build much of hålfotsstödet (top photo is of a finished bottom of Masuru Okayama).

Roberto Ugolini in his workshop in Florence.

Close-up of decoration on a pair from Clematis, where they stitched a little thicker seam in the middle and on each side of it the two thinner seams, which looks really delicate. Images: The Prologue