Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

[Ilovelobbs]

Agree - a bespoke pair of shoes should be about health and comfort as priority. Everything else secondary...... I have a friend who's feet curl upwards at the toe and struggles to keep it flat. Spent thousands on bespoke/orthop shoes and still in pain. When you're spending $5K + on bespoke that's not money well spent, it's money well laundered to me.

Quote:

 

[bengal-stripe]



the diagram behind the shoes is interesting

It shows various designs for a toe medallion.

 

[nutcracker]



I am interested how well educated Japanese shoemakers are in orthopedics.
I understand a lot of Japenese shoemakers have taken shoe making apprenticeships in Europe and begun their local shops afterwards.
There does not seem to exist a Japenese master craftsmanship degree which certifies not only your technical skill but your theoretical knowledge about the human body.
So while I enjoy the looks of the shoes a lot, they easily can compete with the best European makers designwise in my opinion, I am uncertain how much they care about the right stand and gait of the wearer.
To me a bespoke pair of shoes should mainly be about health and only about design in the second place.

There are several major shoemaking schools in Japan. Sarukawa School. Esperanza Academy etc... quite a few of the bespoke makers on the list graduated from here
and I recall their curriculum includes anatomy classes, among others

From what I read, seems like quite a few Japanese bespoke makers emphasise on othopedics, or have started with orthopaedic shoemaking background.

on top of my head:
Koji Atsuta started his career making orthopedic shoes before going to Bemer. He takes a plaster mold of the feet for each order. quite unique among Japanese makers.
Hiroshi Arai, renowned last maker (who I've ordered a pair last year) also has extensive background in orthopedics and apply to his last design for a number of brands

I know Misawa Noriyuki (Misawa & Workshop) and Ryuta Hayafuji are both trained in the German school of orthopedics and been vocal about the effects on their design

 

[clee1982]



There are several major shoemaking schools in Japan. Sarukawa School. Esperanza Academy etc... quite a few of the bespoke makers on the list graduated from here
and I recall their curriculum includes anatomy classes, among others

From what I read, seems like quite a few Japanese bespoke makers emphasise on othopedics, or have started with orthopaedic shoemaking background.

on top of my head:
Koji Atsuta started his career making orthopedic shoes before going to Bemer. He takes a plaster mold of the feet for each order. quite unique among Japanese makers.
Hiroshi Arai, renowned last maker (who I've ordered a pair last year) also has extensive background in orthopedics and apply to his last design for a number of brands

I know Misawa Noriyuki (Misawa & Workshop) and Ryuta Hayafuji are both trained in the German school of orthopedics and been vocal about the effects on their design

There are several major shoemaking schools in Japan. Sarukawa School. Esperanza Academy etc... quite a few of the bespoke makers on the list graduated from here
and I recall their curriculum includes anatomy classes, among others

From what I read, seems like quite a few Japanese bespoke makers emphasise on othopedics, or have started with orthopaedic shoemaking background.

on top of my head:
Koji Atsuta started his career making orthopedic shoes before going to Bemer. He takes a plaster mold of the feet for each order. quite unique among Japanese makers.
Hiroshi Arai, renowned last maker (who I've ordered a pair last year) also has extensive background in orthopedics and apply to his last design for a number of brands

I know Misawa Noriyuki (Misawa & Workshop) and Ryuta Hayafuji are both trained in the German school of orthopedics and been vocal about the effects on their design

good to know, the only reason I will ever go bespoke on shoe will be for comfort. I would imagine japan's RTW fits my Asian foot better.

 

[chogall]

I think he is currently the footwear pattern engineer, meaning he creates the patterns for RTW that will be mass produced. I'm not certain of this info, maybe someone can chime in. He's been working at JL for quite.
He also continues to work as an outworker in Northampton.
He visits Japan occasionally and gives lectures

Ah okay. So Kuroki Satoshi is more on the RTW side, not JLP bespoke side of the operations.

 

[chogall]

Agree - a bespoke pair of shoes should be about health and comfort as priority. Everything else secondary......I have a friend who's feet curl upwards at the toe and struggles to keep it flat. Spent thousands on bespoke/orthop shoes and still in pain. When you're spending $5K + on bespoke that's not money well spent, it's money well laundered to me.

There are two types of bespoke makers.

Craftsmen who know how to make a pair of shoes but have no clue why they need to do things a certain way besides their skill based training.

And there are bespoke makers armed with knowledge why certain things are/have to be done in certain ways.

Former describes the UK shoemaking industries and latter describes the German/Mittleuropa shoemaking training.

 

[nutcracker]

Ryota Hayafuji

Scanned this from a magazine. Blind welted, full brogue. Love the toe shape

 

[luk-cha]

this is an awesome post thanks!!!

 

[luk-cha]



Ryota Hayafuji

Scanned this from a magazine. Blind welted, full brogue. Love the toe shape

lovely shape but it looks very narrow

 

[luk-cha]



Marquess: The round toe last = love

There is Bespokepalooza party event going on at Isetan this Saturday, with 20 bespoke artists (shoes, tailors etc...) showing up all at once to take orders....
I'll pay a visit to Marquess and Yohei Fukuda at the event, hopely I can snap some pics

awesome last great balance

 

[nutcracker]



this is an awesome post thanks!!!

nice to see you back luk

 

[nutcracker]

OK boys, here's something VERY VERY nice
I scanned and photoshopped these pics from MEN'S EX Bespoke edition

these photos are as good as it gets

Clematis Ginza (Takano Keitaro): side elastic whole cut w/ imitation full brogue

Yukiko Bassett Okawa (Benchmade): Wholecut w/rope seems

Hiro Yanagimachi: U-tip Derby

Lecott (Tsukui Reiko): Straight Tip

o.e. (Osamu Egawa): full brogue

Ryota Hayafuji: full brogue w/blind welt

Spigola (Koji Suzuki): Saddle Wing w/Russian Calf

Yohei Fukuda: Long vamp oxfords w/imitation brogue

Guild of Crafts (Yamaguchi Chihiro): One piece Singe Monks

 

[chogall]

So many awesome shoes.

Spigola, Fukuda, and GoC are a notch above IMO.

Hayafuji did a very nice job with the blind welt on a full brogue... :O

 

[gusvs]

Great thread, thanks a lot NC!!! The Marquess round toe is amazing!

 

[bengal-stripe]



There are two types of bespoke makers.

Craftsmen who know how to make a pair of shoes but have no clue why they need to do things a certain way besides their skill based training.

And there are bespoke makers armed with knowledge why certain things are/have to be done in certain ways. 

Former describes the UK shoemaking industries and latter describes the German/Mittleuropa shoemaking training.

I presume you are referring to the Knöfel Equator which runs right through Europe.

Robert Knöfel (1834-1884) was a shoemaker and teacher from Saxony who later settled in Vienna. He developed a ‘scientific’ method of last-making and shoe design, based on measurements (of the foot, not the last) and strictly defined angles; known in German as the ‘Winkelsystem’.
This is the tool needed, a ‘Modellwinkel’

As you can see it’s pretty prescriptive, everything is strictly defined: resulting in designs with a low vamp point and a low-slung top-line. I suppose, if one has the cojones, you can override it, but it appears to me everybody (who subscribes to Knöfel) treats it like Holy Scripture. (Apparently it is the same with German tailors, they subscribe to one or the other 'Cutting-System', while elsewhere tailors cut according to gut feeling and experience.)

English, French and Italians treat last and shoe design far more empirical and free. They also base their patternmaking on the last. The result counts, not the underlying theory.

I haven’t had great success with the two lasts I have lying around somewhere in Vienna and which I do not want to re-visit. What good is a ‘scientific’ method if it doesn't fit to my liking, even if Mr Knöfel says that’s the way it ought to be?

The proof of the pudding is in the eating!