Here is the start of many new Asian companies that will grace the pages of The Shoe Snob Blog. It is a new era in shoemaking and places like Vietnam and Shanghai are quickly gaining ground in making some very high-quality footwear. And you will start to see more and more of this in the future as brands are popping out left and right. The one highlighted here is Graziat Taipei, who specializes in patina, super sharp and elegant lasts and handwelted footwear that is striking, to put it mildly!
The shoes are designed in Taipei, Taiwan. Then produced, handwelted in Shanghai and finally finished back in Taipei. You can see that a lot of inspiration comes from the French style of lasts, designs, shoes in general as well as patina. But they are taking the lasts to a new level of sharpness with a chisel that rivals that of a Japenese sword! And the patina’s are phenomenal for a RTW range. So subtle and elegant but can even go crazy bold if you feel like you want a Van Gogh painting on your shoes, or to call Batman from your heels.
For so long, anything coming out of Asia was synonymous with cheap and I am glad that this stereotype is coming to an end. It is a myth that good shoes can only come from Europe. Europeans do not have special skills that others do not. It’s just that they have been doing it the longest and have cared about craftsmanship and attention to detail since starting. However, more so than ever are European factories sending their products to be built in Asia, only to be finished in Europe. So the tides are turning. And anyone with a will to learn, repeat, perfect and possess a lot of passion can make anything beautifully so long as they believe in themselves. And doesn’t matter if they come from the mountains of the Andes to the beaches of Bali to the forest of Alaska. Anyone can make good shoes.
But the shoes do not have your typical East Asian pricing though. Which I am actually pleased about. They are fairly priced at between $800-$1200 USD which I think very much represents the quality of work that you are receiving, if not even a bit of a deal there.
They are currently working on their website, so if you want to get in touch and place an order, see their Instagram account and send a message to which they shall respond in due time!
Enjoy the pics!
https://www.instagram.com/graziat_taipei/
Fine work indeed! Even the Batshoes!
Anyway, it’s good to see… newcomers! Thanks!
Indeed, very nice shoes and very sharp & precise. Very much like JM legazel with his carlos santos shoes and patina. Any idea of price range for classic leather? Thanks.