The best shoemaking I have seen came from TYE Bespoke, of Japan. This statement is in judged terms of consistency and as a brand, not an individual shoe. This is not to take away from the Bespoke Shoemaking Contest I hold yearly with Jesper of Shoegazing and Kirby Allison which produces some of the finest shoes the world has ever seen. But in terms of all-around brand consistency and flawlessness of shoemaking, there are no better shoes that I have seen with my own eyes more perfect than those of TYE Bespoke.
It is not easy to get your hands on a pair of TYE Bespoke unless you visit them in Japan. They do not do US/European Trunk Shows and I rarely get to Asia these days. But they do have a relationship with my pal Kevin Seah of Singapore where they hold periodic trunk shows. During one of my trunk shows there many years ago, Kevin had some samples of TYE Bespoke and I was fortunate enough to be able to appreciate them in person. And what an impression that had on me!
Words can hardly describe the perfection the shoes possessed. Even more impressive than the dress shoes was a lady’s wedge pump shoe that had like 20 heel stacks (see attached), shaped by hand. If you know what that looks like you will understand the craftsmanship one must possess to hand stack and shape that heel. Impressive doesn’t even begin to describe it. It was mind-blowing to understand what could be achieved with patience and skill. I have since seen other works of art in our bespoke shoemaking contest that defy the laws of shoemaking but at that time I had really yet to see anything like it.
It was around 7 years ago that I saw those shoes, in the infancy of the brand. I can only imagine that their skills have improved if that is even possible. I can say that TYE Bespoke’s level of design and creativity continues to impress me. At least from what I see on Instagram, which is the only medium one can appreciate them outside of their workshop and trunk shows. They do not often post but am always excited when I see a new work of art by them. Especially when it is a unique design. To this day, as a consistent brand, they reign supreme as the best shoemaking that I have seen.
I am hoping that their brand grows and allows them to make more appearances on this side of the world as I am quite sure they would be highly received. If you are interested in their work, I suggest reaching out via their Instagram page where they will check and respond to DMs.
Learn more: https://tyeshoemaker.com/
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
Shop · Marketplace · J.FitzPatrick Footwear
Douglas PENG
A friend of mine told me that bespoke shoes are more comfortable due to the customized fit and enhanced support together with the balance of design and material utilized. But he also told me that in some of his shoes the cork filling were replaced with leather strips. And I am wondering if this is true and if so, is leather offering more comfort?
Justin FitzPatrick
comfort ultimately is subjective. Leather at the end of the day will be longer lasting and potentially provide more support than the cork, yes