Hand-painted shoes from Japan

Picture: Goodyear-welted and hand-painted shoes, made in Japan. 

Which is the best place to get a wide assortment of top Italian, French and English men's wear brands? No, not London, Paris nor Milan but Tokyo! Retailers like Beams or Tomorrowland stock a wide variety of venerable European men's wear brands like Isaia, Swaine Adeney and Briggs, John Smedley or Crockett & Jones. If you can't find it in Tokyo, it is not worth having it! I also saw some of the best dressed sales staff in the whole universe and some even spoke English! Therefore the discerning gentleman can choose from a plethora of Japanese suit and shirt tailors who use Italian fabrics and cuts from Savile Row to Milano. However, the icing on the cake for any man with exquisite taste are custom-made Japanese shoes. Hiroki Imai, a Japanese in his mid thirties, produces traditional goodyear-welted men's shoes. You can choose among wide and round lasts and a dazzling variety of colors, soles and stitching. It takes Mr. Imai 40 days to finish a shoe and he also ships to Europe. He learned his trade in Italy and what makes his shoes unique, besides that he only uses Japanese leather, is the unique coloring. He is not shy of mixing black and red, red and green or purple with black. I shall receive my shoes in spring 2011! Here is his website: http://imaihiroki.com/Picture: Mr. Hiroki Imai at work, painting a shoe. Below, a selection of his wide-ranging work. 

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[il Schuhmagger]

I´m in love...