Special Derbys by Ichigo Ichie Shoemaker

It is hard for me to love a derby shoe, but these ones here by Ichigo Ichie shoemaker are truly something special. And if I start to look back at my posts in which I am writing about a derby they are nearly almost bespoke or from shoemakers that make truly special shoes not under $1000 (think Corthay ‘Arca’). I just cannot really get down with most ‘typical’ derbys, as they are just so blah to me. So when I saw these and how special they were I was instantly enamored by them. And there are several reasons why…

They first caught my eye due to the two-tone nature of them. If you read this blog you know I love shoes that have more than one tone and texture. Then, what really grabbed me was the pattern and how it had this saddle-like seam on it separating the front part of the shoe from the counter. I found that quite intriguing and unique and not something that I recall seeing before and if I had, not as tastefully done as this. The second thing that grabbed me was the shape of them. A sharp pattern needs a sharp last and I only like derbys on slightly more elongated lasts that really draw out the front of the shoe to make them more ‘elegant’ in my eyes. Those stub toed derbys just don’t cut it for me. I will leave that to the Americana style lovers. And last, but certainly not least because nothing about this shoe was boring was the cool coloring/leather choice of them.

But the color of them was special, and special because it was a custom patina by Greg Park aka Hancore. The patina matched the elephant hide on the vamp perfectly and let’s not get into the super cool burgundy museum like sole color that was sublime. Everything about the shoe was cool. And it has reached the top ranks for me of coolest derbys of all-time. A hard list to get into!

Learn more: https://ichigoichieshoes.com/