March 30, 2020
A sole is a shoemaker’s blank canvas. A part of the shoe that they can truly express themselves. While uppers are somewhat ‘standardized’, in the sense that there are expectations of what they need to be/look like, the sole is the part where creativity can run wild and a shoemaker can truly show their talents on their blank canvas of art. As a blogger and an advocate of shoes, it is often that we just […]
May 13, 2019
40 dark brown full brogue oxfords, made by shoemakers from all over the world. Here’s a substantial review of all the competition shoes that entered the World Championships in Shoemaking 2019. Info, comments, pictures of the shoes and in some cases also the manufacturing process.
May 9, 2019
All photos and process courtesy of Japanese Bespoke Shoemaker, Eiji Murata aka Main D’or. Hand-stitching an upper is no easy feat. When you look at the pictures it probably seems easy. But allow me to tell you that it is tough and mainly for the precision involved. The smallest error can result in cracking leather or crooked stitching and the shoe is pretty much ruined when that happens as there is no correcting it. But […]
March 25, 2019
Just a quick email of the winners of the competition for the World Championship in Bespoke Shoemaking 1st place – Daniel Wegan of Gaziano & Girling 2nd place – Christophe Corthay 3rd Place – Eiji Murata of Main D’or A longer blog post will follow but for those of you eager to know and see the winners, here is a small teaser! Stay tuned for more! -Justin FitzPatrick
November 7, 2018
I am not going to lie and say that I am a sole fanatic but there is something special about a well-crafted sole. I love to look at them and appreciate the skill that went into it, as someone who has done them before, knows just how difficult it is to make the ‘perfect.’ Well Eiji Murata, aka Main D’or, makes them perfectly. The best that I have seen and that is no joke. They […]
November 2, 2015
I caught a glimpse of these incredible bespoke blue shoes by Main D’or (Eiji Murata) and I was blown away. I mean, I am not going to lie and say that they are the most practical of shoe nor that the cap is nothing shy of wild, but I see them and they immediately capture my attention and admiration. And that blue, it is about as vivid as blue gets, especially on leather. Let us […]
