Japanese Sneakers/Shoes (No Leather): Recommend Brands/Online Stores?

[spagett]

Hi! Thanks for reading.

I don't feel like wearing chunks of a dead animal on my feet so I don't want to wear shoes with leather in the construction, and I just like the way that Japanese clothing in general looks.

But I can't read or speak Japanese and I've never been to Japan and I may never go. So without some gracious assistance from the forum, I'm unlikely to find what I'm looking for.

Naturally I've googled for "Japanese sneakers" but the results I'm getting aren't proving to be very helpful, at least not to the extent of presenting me with an appealing pair and an order button.

Could anyone just give me a list of nifty brands or link me to any good shops that will ship to the USA?

Thanks again.

 

[bryanayrb]

 

[spagett]

* a laughtering *

 

[bryanayrb]

i'm not laughtering

japanese rarely wear "japanese shoes" so how about you show us a picture of something you like

 

[spagett]

I haven't found anything exactly what I want yet so I can't show you many pictures or any that are great - but basically I just want shoes that are kind of insane and a little silly, but still sufficiently restrained in their design that they aren't overpoweringly loud and gaudy.


http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...d935lyyyyd.jpg

The color scheme appeals to me as does the construction; nothing is too loud or overdone, but there's just enough weirdness about it to make it interesting nevertheless. If it weren't leather I might buy it.

 

[downwithianbrown]

you are most likely not going to find anything that isn't in leather. I don't recall any of the good Japanese labels making non-leather sneakers besides maybe really clean converse look alikes.

 

[takashi]

Originally Posted by spagett

I haven't found anything exactly what I want yet so I can't show you many pictures or any that are great - but basically I just want shoes that are kind of insane and a little silly, but still sufficiently restrained in their design that they aren't overpoweringly loud and gaudy.


http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...d935lyyyyd.jpg

The color scheme appeals to me as does the construction; nothing is too loud or overdone, but there's just enough weirdness about it to make it interesting nevertheless. If it weren't leather I might buy it.

Could you define what you mean by Japanese Sneakers?
Are you looking for Japanese anime stuff on? Or something from Japan (this case, Asics)?

 

[bryanayrb]

Originally Posted by spagett

I haven't found anything exactly what I want yet so I can't show you many pictures or any that are great - but basically I just want shoes that are kind of insane and a little silly, but still sufficiently restrained in their design that they aren't overpoweringly loud and gaudy.


http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...d935lyyyyd.jpg

The color scheme appeals to me as does the construction; nothing is too loud or overdone, but there's just enough weirdness about it to make it interesting nevertheless. If it weren't leather I might buy it.

ah yes the asics vampire thunderbear lows in granite, excellent choice. if only they came in canvas

 

[spagett]

It doesn't make any difference to me if it has anime stuff on it. I just like clothes that are balanced but fun, and the Japanese aesthetic sensibility seems to exhibit those qualities consistently - at least from what I've seen in magazines, movies, etc. When I go shopping for sneakers here in the States (and granted I don't live near any particularly good shops, but) what I find is either boring or garish, to my taste anyway.

I guess I'll just relax my stance on leather if it's really that impossible to find any without, so long it's not the same kind of leather used for dress shoes.

 

[MIKE_JE]

I hate this thread enough to post that I hate it.

 

[brad-t]

Originally Posted by spagett

I guess I'll just relax my stance on leather if it's really that impossible to find any without, so long it's not the same kind of leather used for dress shoes.

wtf

um here:

https://search-voi.0101.co.jp/voi/se...store=2&per=60

most are synthetic leather

 

[mickey711]

^+1 From what I've seen, a lot of low-end and mid-range Japanese brands use synthetic leather to make their shoes and sneakers. And the only Japanese brand off the top of my head that could be considered 'playful' is Comme Des Garcons, and that might be out of your price range. The CDG play sneakers retail for $145 IIRC:

And OP, I feel like the urge to tell you that the jacket I wear on a regular basis is made out of 6 (or was it 7?) lambs. And it feels awesome - the leather's so buttery smooth, women can't stop stroking it.

 

[bbaquiran]

Visvim mocs (Shaman etc.) are leather right?

 

[mickey711]

Shamans are made out of suede (a type of leather), which are definitely chunks of dead animals.

 

[lmaozedong]

Originally Posted by spagett

so long it's not the same kind of leather used for dress shoes.

?___?