Master of British Shoemaking, Gaziano & Girling: Editor Matsuo's Interview

Interview with GAZIANO&GIRLING

Tony Gaziano and Dean Girling of the new shoe brand GAZIANO&GIRLING visited Japan. Men's Ex Editor-in-Chief Kentaro Matsuo shares his insights from a conversation with the duo about the details of GAZIANO&GIRLING.

By Kentaro Matsuo (Editor-in-Chief, Men's EX)Photo by Jamandfix

A Black Ship Appears in the World of Classic Shoes!?

As the editor-in-chief of a conservative fashion magazine like Men's EX, the biggest challenge is a lack of new material. The focus is on classic suits and shoes, so the shapes and colors don't change much, and new brands rarely emerge. We somehow manage by focusing on the minutiae of every feature (It's amazing we've kept this up for 15 years...).

However, this season brings a significant topic to the shoe industry, offering some relief: GAZIANO&GIRLING. The appeal of this brand, in a nutshell, is that their shoes look like bespoke models costing hundreds of thousands of yen, yet are priced at less than half that. Our deputy editor, Horikawa, even exclaimed, 'It's a black ship that has appeared in the world of classic shoes!' and caused quite a stir.

From left: Tony Gaziano, Editor Matsuo, Dean Girling

The Charm of the Two Men Becomes the Charm of the Shoes

I was a little nervous about meeting the two creators of such a talked-about brand, Tony Gaziano and Dean Girling. The venue was a suite at The Peninsula Hotel. Upon meeting them, they were busy moving around amidst a display of sample shoes packed into the room.

When I nervously began, 'Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Matsuo. Sorry for my poor English,'
they kindly responded, 'Oh no, it's better than my Japanese. I'm learning it, but it's difficult.'
I was relieved to find them both to be very pleasant individuals.
'Sixty percent of our shoes are for the Japanese market. So, when we come up with an idea, we think of Japan first.'
These were the delightful words from Tony Gaziano, who is primarily responsible for the design. He has the air of an artist.
'Yes, Japan is wonderful. Everyone knows so much about shoes, it's surprising.'
This was said by Dean Girling, who has a gentle demeanor. He is a shoemaker by trade and handles the technical aspects.

GAZIANO&GIRLING's appeal lies in its fusion of the elegant design of Italian shoes with the understated atmosphere of British footwear, a characteristic I believe stems from the personalities of these two men.

MatsuoJapanese shoe enthusiasts are truly remarkable. We occasionally receive calls at our editorial department with incredibly niche questions, which can be quite challenging.

TonyThe knowledge of Japanese customers is second to none globally. But recently, the shoe boom in Japan has spread, and we're seeing a surge of very dedicated fans in America as well.

DeanThat's right, they chat about shoes online, don't they?

MatsuoOh, really? Are there such sites?

(Upon checking, they indeed exist: www.styleforum.net)

TonyThey even write about our shoes, discussing things like the sole material...

DeanWe use leather tanned by an ancient English tannery with over two thousand years of history.

MatsuoI know! It's J&F.J. Barker, isn't it? I covered them once before (in "Ultimate Shoe Book Vol. 1").

TonyYou know them?

DeanIt's pronounced 'Baker,' not 'Barker.'

MatsuoAh, is that right... (Damn, I wrote 'Barker' quite definitively in the shoe book.)

TonyUsing Barker leather for the soles is typically reserved for bespoke shoes. We are the only ones in the world using it for ready-to-wear.

DeanIt's soft yet durable and absolutely superb, but it's expensive.

MatsuoAnd the way the waist is so elegantly sculpted is incredibly sexy... I'm captivated.

TonyThank you. Achieving this line is incredibly difficult. I studied antique shoes to perfect it.

DeanOver a wooden shank, a leather fiddleback...

The conversation then veered into such highly technical territory that my knowledge could no longer keep up. I managed to wrap up the interview with my usual faint smile, using it to gloss over my lack of expertise.

Two things struck me during our conversation.
Firstly, both men are incredibly earnest and deeply passionate about shoes. The reason they offer such high quality at a value exceeding the price is solely because they have no ulterior motives.
Secondly, I wondered if they might be gay? After all, many people in the European and American fashion industry are gay, and the brand name even sounds a bit like Dolce & something...

My imagination ran wild, but at the subsequent dinner, I learned that Tony has a wife and Dean has a fiancée. A great relief. My apologies to both of you for my unfounded speculation... but they make excellent shoes!