Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

[bengal-stripe]



The description says they're wholecut shoes. I suppose those calf pieces / straps were stitched over the suede upper.

There will be a seam, if not an entire heel piece (linen is not as easily manipulated as leather), hidden under the beige 'counter strap'.

Fascinating shoes.

Or a pair of sandals that's gone wrong?

 

[nutcracker]



There will be a seam, if not an entire heel piece (linen is not as easily manipulated as leather), hidden under the beige 'counter strap'.
Or a pair of sandals that's gone wrong?

to me they look like a thick mustache.
I'm sure there must be a precedent to this design, but still, quite cleverly put together.

 

[clee1982]



ICHO made by TYE shoemaker
Bespoke Linen & Box Calf Spectator Shoes
ICHO on FB

linen, interesting, how did it keep the shape

 

[bengal-stripe]



linen, interesting, how did it keep the shape

Shoe uppers made from fabric get normally an an additional 'backer' to give the material more body and a firmer handle. This might be an a thin leather, glued over the entire surface of the fabric or a heat-fused interlining (as in tailoring).

 

[Fang66]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

foot the coacher designed by Toshinosuke Takegahara Gallery of Authentic

My kinda shoes.

 

[clee1982]



Shoe uppers made from fabric get normally an an additional 'backer' to give the material more body and a firmer handle. This might be an a thin leather, glued over the entire surface of the fabric or a heat-fused interlining (as in tailoring).

good knowledge, thanks!

 

[Ilovelobbs]

Quote:
Agree !!!

 

[Ilovelobbs]

Quote:
£800 GBP decent value for Japan. I'll need to prep before I travel next. Was only in HK for 4 days and dying to get home - bloody 32C everyday but felt like 50C with the rain and humidity. Don't know how people where nice shoes & suits in those condition. Had to shower every 2 hours..... Didn't have time to visit any shops...

 

[nutcracker]

A Visit to Brift H, Tokyo

Since opening its doors 5 years ago, Brift H (founded by the shoe shiner extraordinaire Yuya Hasegawa) has become a model/standard for countless of other shoeshine parlors to imitate. I've been their happy customer for quite some time (for shines and repairs), and this time I brought my camera along with my shoes to polish.

A bar-like setting with counter seats (with complementary drinnks). Cozy and stylish

Saphirs and Tapirs. They also carry custom Edoya brushes.

Over the counter: Brift H's original cream polishes

Brift H's mascot, a fox

www.brift-h.com
Brift-H FB

 

[nutcracker]

Shoe Shine @ Brift H

The fabulous Kitami-san (store manager) worked his magic on my Il Quadrifoglio (worn lightly, but they needed a high shine badly )
I managed to take some pictures to show the (almost) entire process. Enjoy and learn! (picture heavy!!)

Unlacing the Shoes

The interior/lining is conditioned using a light conditioning cream (Colonil 1909)

Sponge tipped trees (by Hartmann) are inserted

Dusting off with a Horsehair bush

Freshening up the surface with a light cleaning lotion

Brift H's original cream polish in mahogany

Hand rubbed....

Forcing the cream into the pores with a bristle brush

Excess cream removed / buffed to a moderate shine.

Now the magic begins. Polish time!

Wax polishes (Saphir) are rubbed in with bare fingers

Wrapped securely around the fingers

A tap of water, and a smidgen of polish

Working on it

Nice shine, but not nearly finished

At the 90% mark, the goat hair brush kicks in to smooth out the streaks

With a few more rounds of brushing and rubbing, it's almost done

Slick and shiny!

Finally, some oil for the soles

Done! The whole process (+chatting) took 40 minutes

my thanks to Mr. Kitami for the awesome shine!

www.brift-h.com
Brift-H FB

 

[bozzkeren]

my god, that shine just like metallic colour
with lighting effect that mahogany turns like bordeaux
magnificent work

 

[clee1982]



A Visit to Brift H, Tokyo

Brift H's mascot, a fox

cool looking store, though that fox looks like a cat to me...

 

[clee1982]



Shoe Shine @ Brift H

The fabulous Kitami-san (store manager) worked his magic on my Il Quadrifoglio (worn lightly, but they needed a high shine badly )
I managed to take some pictures to show the (almost) entire process. Enjoy and learn! (picture heavy!!)

Unlacing the Shoes

The interior/lining is conditioned using a light conditioning cream (Colonil 1909)

Sponge tipped trees (by Hartmann) are inserted

Dusting off with a Horsehair bush

Freshening up the surface with a light cleaning lotion

Brift H's original cream polish in mahogany

Hand rubbed....

Forcing the cream into the pores with a bristle brush

Excess cream removed / buffed to a moderate shine.

Now the magic begins. Polish time!

Wax polishes (Saphir) are rubbed in with bare fingers

Wrapped securely around the fingers

A tap of water, and a smidgen of polish

Working on it

Nice shine, but not nearly finished

At the 90% mark, the goat hair brush kicks in to smooth out the streaks

With a few more rounds of brushing and rubbing, it's almost done

Slick and shiny!

Finally, some oil for the soles

Done! The whole process (+chatting) took 40 minutes

my thanks to Mr. Kitami for the awesome shine!

www.brift-h.com
Brift-H FB

awesome, so what's the "bristle brush" you're talking about after dusting with horsehair brush. I always just use the same horsehair brush for dusting then make sure it's clean before I use it for buffing. Also do you see a real difference between goat hair brush and horsehair brush? I don't think I can find goathair brush easily in the states. Great shine by the way, but at 40 minutes a pair is not what I would normally do consider the size of my collection...

 

[nutcracker]



awesome, so what's the "bristle brush" you're talking about after dusting with horsehair brush. I always just use the same horsehair brush for dusting then make sure it's clean before I use it for buffing. Also do you see a real difference between goat hair brush and horsehair brush? I don't think I can find goathair brush easily in the states. Great shine by the way, but at 40 minutes a pair is not what I would normally do consider the size of my collection...

Pig bristles brush. The guy used it after the cream polish was applied. It's kinda tough and springy, and are supposed to force the cream polish into the pores, while removing the excess.

Goat hair brushes are much softer than horsehair. He used the brush (with a lil water on it) for the final buffing. It really seemed to eliminate the streaks/swirls left by hand polishing, but I'm sure it needs some practice. Colonil sells one, and are available through ebay? not sure. I think a lambswool mitten does an equally good job.

BAL WORKS, another fine shoe repair shop in Tokyo, uses similar (but not the same) Edoya brushes as Brift H, but they don't include bristle brushes in their regimen.

I've also seen old school shoe shiners who only use pig bristle brushes and some rags to get some serious shine.

Yeah, one horsehair brush (and maybe some rags for polishing) should be adequate for maintaining shoes.
Personally, I only use a brush (horsehair) for dusting, and use a cloth/rag for the rest (same rag for polishing and buffing). Takes 5 minutes or so. I'm getting too lazy to do a high shine (I rarely use a wax polish), so that's all I really need.

 

[clee1982]



Pig bristles brush. The guy used it after the cream polish was applied. It's kinda tough and springy, and are supposed to force the cream polish into the pores, while removing the excess.

Goat hair brushes are much softer than horsehair. He used the brush (with a lil water on it) for the final buffing. It really seemed to eliminate the streaks/swirls left by hand polishing, but I'm sure it needs some practice. Colonil sells one, and are available through ebay? not sure. I think a lambswool mitten does an equally good job.

BAL WORKS, another fine shoe repair shop in Tokyo, uses similar (but not the same) Edoya brushes as Brift H, but they don't include bristle brushes in their regimen.

I've also seen old school shoe shiners who only use pig bristle brushes and some rags to get some serious shine.

Yeah, one horsehair brush (and maybe some rags for polishing) should be adequate for maintaining shoes.
Personally, I only use a brush (horsehair) for dusting, and use a cloth/rag for the rest (same rag for polishing and buffing). Takes 5 minutes or so. I'm getting too lazy to do a high shine (I rarely use a wax polish), so that's all I really need.

yea I rarely use wax unless I am attending a wedding or something, mostly cream these days.