The famous Japanese bespoke shoemaker Yohei Fukuda is about to seriously open up Europe as part of his business area. He will have trunk shows on July 1-2 in London, and on July 8-9 in Geneva, and the plan is to return there and likely also Paris every six months going forwards. He’ll take orders for RTW, MTO and full bespoke.
The fact that Japanese can start travel again is a sign that the pandemic is steadily releasing its hands on most parts of the world. Yohei Fukuda visited Paris in 2019, but since then he hasn’t been able to come back to Europe. Until now. Those who follow Shoegazing should be well in on who Yohei Fukuda is by now, if not, you can read a substantial report here, and a large buyer’s guide here (not fully up to date, but still). And to link the previous article about Japanese going international, you can hear Yohei talk about brand building in this episode of the Shoegazing Podcast.
My latest pair from Yohei Fukuda, a seamless wholecut in burgundy patina.
Already next week he’ll start heading internationally again, when he visits Mason & Smith in Singapore, this on June 4-5. And then in the middle of the summer it’s time for Europe. He’ll be on Savile Row in London, England, on July 1-2, and then in Geneva, Switzerland, the consecutive week on July 8-9. First time ever for both those locations. But then the plan is to come back twice a year, so he can do fittings with bespoke clients and continue to serve a hopefully growing customer clientele on our continent.
Superb sole work.
At the moment the Japanese yen is relatively low towards both the Euro and Pound sterling, so if you’ve dreamt of a pair of shoes from the Japanese legend, this summer might be the time to take the plunge. His hand welted RTW shoes, surely among the best RTW shoes you can find in the world, are priced at about €1,750 (240 000 yen). MTO starts at €1,950 (270 000 yen), and bespoke starts at €3,050 (420 000 yen). Considering that for example Switzerland have very low VAT rate and customs, you can get your hands on some of the absolute finest shoes available at a price tag that they surely are worth (said by one who have ordered six pairs from him). For appointments and details, send an e-mail to info@yoheifukuda.jp.
Like jewelry lined up.
Hi Jesper, very exciting! Do you know what the rough turnaround time for a bespoke pair is for a new customer these days?
Sam: Yeah, 12-18 months for first orders. So lower than was before Covid, and will likely go up again soon 🙂