#1 My Current Favorite Shoes

GUILD / 2006

photo by Jamandfix

This pair was made at the request of Chihiro Yamaguchi, who runs Guild of Crafts. It was my first bespoke order with him, but after just a brief conversation during the fitting, the result was incredibly satisfying. These are recent shoes, made just two or three months ago.

I've had shoes made in various places overseas, but I'm extremely pleased not only with the manufacturing quality but also with how he understood my preferences and the final finishing. They are my favorite shoes right now. Having been in the clothing business since graduating from university, my style has gone through many twists and turns, but for the past eight years or so, I've favored elegant, long-nosed shoes.

My basic style is the jacket ensemble, but I no longer have any inclination to wear this type of shoe with blue jeans as I used to. I have two approaches to selecting socks: matching them to the shoe color or matching them to the suit color. Lately, I've been matching them to the shoe color more often.

What I consider to be the completed form of clothing and shoes for creating my personal style are the looks of the 1930s and 40s, exemplified by the Duke of Windsor and the Hollywood stars influenced by him.
The ultimate footwear for that style, in my opinion, is bespoke from John Lobb in London: narrow, extremely slender, and elegant aristocratic shoes. That is my pinnacle of elegance, my ideal.

(2006 / Price: ¥380,000 + last fee)

#2 They Didn't Sell at All, Which is Also a Memory
CIKIU / 1996

photo by Jamandfix

When Chihiro Yamaguchi returned from London, he showed me shoes he had co-supervised with Union Royal, and incorporating them into United Arrows' original "Tatsuya" brand was the beginning of my relationship with Yamaguchi. Our Harajuku store had already opened, so this was about 10 years ago.

These are a double-name product, "CIKIU" and "Tatsuya," with "Since1952 handcraft ENGLAND." The construction is cement or McKay. They feature a 70s-style strap design, but with a balance not seen in the 70s, and the center seam was quite a forward-looking design. The material is goatskin, giving them a unique character.

The concept when we started "Tatsuya" around '94 was the Saint-Germain look of the 60s. The "CIKIU" series recreated the design trends from the late 60s to the 70s of shoes that would have been worn by the young fashion crowd gathered around Saint-Germain in Paris, those who favored Saint Laurent and Renoma. As this was around the time I entered university, it held a nostalgic appeal.

Around '96, which was nearing the peak of the 'Clasico Italia' movement, I envisioned the Saint-Germain style as the next major trend, anticipating a shift towards jackets with concave, square shoulders and a slimmer silhouette. I introduced these shoes under "Tatsuya," but they didn't sell at all (laughs), to the point where they are a memorable failure. They were on display, but lacked context with other products, so customers didn't understand them at all (laughs) and they didn't sell.

At the time, I wore these shoes with "Tatsuya" jackets that had narrow shoulders, a very high button stance, and an unbalanced, interesting shape with a long hem, paired with wide baggy pants.

(1996 / Original price: ¥32,000)