Tag
The Super Trunk Show in London once again proved its position as a central meeting point for the world of quality men’s footwear. Throughout the day the venue was buzzing with activity, from the busy exhibitor floor to the three world championship finals, and countless conversations between makers, retailers, and shoe enthusiasts from across the globe.
Last week the Japanese public broadcasting company’s international TV channel, NHK World Japan, aired an episode of the lifestyle programme Japanology Plus with focus on leather shoes. Here they met bespoke shoemakers like Shoji Kawaguchi of Marquess and Noriyuki Misawa, who also make art shoes, visited a shoemaking school and got shoes shined by Yuya Hasegawa of Brift H. The episode is in English and can be viewed for free online.
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.
The amount of good quality shoe care brands available are more than in a long time, and a lot of them are more accessible than ever with the growing e-commerce. Here’s a summary of all the brands you need to know off and info on where you can purchase them.
