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Almost 100 questions came in for this Q&A Special of the Shoegazing Podcast, with none other than the Japanese bespoke shoemaker Yohei Fukuda. A selection of all these were asked to him during an interesting talk, touching upon everything from the time spent on making his shoes to where inspiration for his style comes from.
This week the top three shoes in the World Championships of Shoemaking 2022 are on display at the department store Isetan Men’s in Tokyo, and to kick it off there was a talk session with media and selected customers with myself and the three shoemakers who presented both their contest shoes and showcased some of their other work. Here’s some photos from the happening, with focus on the shoes present.
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The bespoke shoemaker Akira Tani, from Japan but based in Italy, has a lot of things that point towards soon being one of the most hyped makers in the industry: A slightly more casual house style highly suitable for how more and more people dress today, some of the best finishing in the world, and a price tag of just €2,300 (including VAT) for full bespoke. Shoegazing visited him in Florence.
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.
One of the most hyped Japanese brands the last couple of years is Raymar. Sometimes called “the Japanese Meermin”, they have a lot in common, with Chinese-made extremely affordable Goodyear welted and hand welted shoes, classic styles and lasts in famous laters, with lots of new models coming out all the time. This week they introduced their international webshop.
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Ichigo Ichie is a relatively new maker in Japan who do a lot of things right. With a very informative website in English it’s way more accessible for international customers, and add to that an impressive price tag with fully handmade RTW/MTO starting at €700, and MTM which one can do remotely starting at €1,300.
One of several Japanese manufacturers of really nice midrange welted shoes is the Vinaseiko factory, with their main brand Perfetto plus Kanpekina and Fugashin. It’s one example of a company working successfully with a joint factory in Southeast Asia to produce shoes with a great quality-price ratio. Shoegazing has paid it a visit.
I’ve been fortunate enough to own a number of shoes from several Japanese bespoke shoemakers, and what continuously amaze me with these shoes are the exemplary execution of the making. Look at this shoe above by Yohei Fukuda as an example, see the flawless closing of the uppers, the perfectly trimmed and stacked heel, the immaculate blind welted waist, the precise sole stitching and welt finishing, and so on. One can make shoes differently than this – but one can’t basically make it better.
One of the many Japanese bespoke shoemakers who’ve made an impact in recent years is Yuigo Hayano and his brand Bespoke Shoe Works. He has almost 15 years in the industry though, working both in factories and in bespoke workshops, and have trained both in Japan and England. His very well-made bespoke shoes are often called among the best classic British bespoke shoes you can get – just made in Japan.
With the pandemic having the world in its grip for over a year, making it tough for already well-established shoe brands out there, one have to admire – and give support to – the ones who actually set out to start a new brand at this stake. Today I highlight three highly interesting makers of handmade footwear that just started their own brands: Hung Shoemaker from Taiwan, Siroeno Yosui from Japan, and Mogada from Germany.
