REGAL Shoe&Co. | New Classic Shoes to Brighten Your Spring Footwear

REGAL Shoe&Co.｜REGAL SHOE&CO.

New Classics to Brighten Your Spring Footwear

REGAL's dress shoes have long graced the feet of Japanese gentlemen with timeless elegance. The new line, REGAL Shoe&Co., launched in 2010, refines this enduring appeal with a modern sensibility. The latest creations for the 2012 S/S season have finally arrived.

Text by Koji Toyoda

Interpreting "Traditional" in the REGAL Shoe&Co. Style

In the 1960s, a youth subculture known as the "Miyuki-zoku" frequented Ginza. While few may remember them today, they laid the groundwork for Japan's contemporary fashion culture.

The Miyuki-zoku's style was a slightly relaxed take on Ivy League looks. Dressed in preppy ensembles of natural-shoulder blazers, button-down shirts, and Bermuda shorts, they strode through Ginza as if they owned it, still buzzing from the Tokyo Olympics.

Their footwear of choice was always REGAL dress shoes. They cherished REGAL shoes, which had only recently arrived in Japan from America, just as much as their navy blazers and white button-down shirts. This cemented REGAL's status as a standard for Japanese gentlemen.

Some 50 years later, a subtle shift began at REGAL with the birth of REGAL Shoe&Co.

This new line, a fusion of REGAL's traditional craftsmanship, originally honed in military boot production, and Tokyo's modern sensibility that embraces everything from trad and mode to street style, has introduced REGAL's charm to a wider audience.

Indeed, young people who know nothing of the Miyuki-zoku or even REGAL have begun choosing REGAL dress shoes over sneakers. Active collaborations with emerging domestic brands like Nonnative and Phenomenon likely contribute to this trend.

Last season's "Military" theme, featuring full brogue shoes with camouflage leather accents and saddle shoes resembling chukka boots, was a major talking point. This season, under the theme of "Traditional," they offer a wealth of exquisite pieces befitting new classics.

Particularly noteworthy are three models: the full brogue, the penny loafer, and the tassel loafer. While all are classic forms, they are subtly infused with details that interpret "Traditional" in the REGAL Shoe&Co. style.

For instance, the full brogue shoe, essential for any gentleman's wardrobe, features an upper combining lustrous kip leather with oxford fabric, paired with a white sponge sole. While retaining the inherent dignity of the wingtip, it achieves a pleasantly casual aesthetic.

The penny loafer boasts a fine-grained suede upper with a white sponge sole. Piping and stitching around the vamp lend it a particularly refined air.

The tassel loafer, crafted from the same lustrous kip leather as the wingtip, also features a white sponge sole, along with piped detailing and stitching on the vamp, creating an expression of pure elegance.

Moreover, all models incorporate red leather lining. "Style extends to the unseen," as the saying goes, and perhaps the essence of REGAL Shoe&Co.'s traditional spirit lies in these meticulous details.

REGAL Shoe&Co.'s new collection reinterprets the common word "Traditional," not literally, but by outputting what they themselves consider "Traditional" through masterful craftsmanship and contemporary sensibility. The release is scheduled for April.

REGAL Shoe&Co.

1-9-4 Jinnan NC Building, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Tel. 03-5459-3135

Opening Hours: 11:00–20:00

Closed: Mondays (except national holidays)

http://www.regalshoes.jp/