The World of High-End Men's Shoes - The Rise of the Asian Contingent

Winson Shoemaker 

When I became enamored with high-end shoes about 15 or 20 years ago, the creme de la creme of the industry were limited to a few locations, particularly England, France and Italy. To my mind and tastes, the top tier of shoemakers was limited to a select few such as Edward Green and John Lobb. Lobb, for instance, was the only maker offering models featuring museum calf. One of my first purchases during my trip to Northampton was a pair of Lobb chelsea boot, the Tudor. I still own them and the museum calf leather still looks wonderful. These days, though, just about everyone offers a model in museum calf sourced from the Ilcea tannery in France. 

In addition to more accessible quality leathers being offered from a variety of makers, the quality and variety of shoemakers has increased in leaps and bounds since the early 2000s. In addition to the traditional countries mentioned earlier, there are now shoemakers creating incredible works of art from a number of countries in the Far East, particularly Japan, China, and Indonesia. These shoemakers are working very hard to improve their craft while at the same time combating the antiquated notion that only inferior quality products are produced in Asia. 

Another MTO from Winson Shoemaker

Many of the offerings from these newer shoemakers can be found on Instagram and I have to say that I've been particularly impressed by what I've seen from Winson Shoemakers in Indonesia, Gordon Jim Jun in Shanghai, and Acme Shoemakers, another company based out of China. The quality appears to be oustanding and represents excellent value for quality. It should be noted here Justin Fitzpatrick, also known as The Shoe Snob and the force behind J. Fitzpatrick shoes, has been an outspoken admirer and advocate for this new group of shoemakers. Knowing as much as he does about the shoe industry, as well as having handled all kinds of high-end shoes from around the world, that fact that he is so  impressed by this new wave of talent really speaks volumes in my mind. 

 

Offerings from Gordon Jim Jun Shoemaker.

With that in mind, over the next few months, I hope to be able to order from Winson Shoemakers, Gordon Jim Jun, and Acme, in order to experience these shoes firsthand, and hopefully share my experiences with the ordering process. I will also try to publish interviews with each shoemaker, to the extent possible (and language limitations permitting!), similar to the short interviews that I've published in the past with English shoemakers such as Alfred Sargent, Edward Green, and Foster & Son, and Italian shoemakers such as Bestetti.

ACME Shoemakers 

I chose to begin my Asian tour with Winson Shoemaker, an artisan who is doing incredible things in Indonesia. I will share my thoughts on the ordering process in the next few days!