Good news for those who have worn-out favorite sneakers or sneakers whose soles have deteriorated due to hydrolysis and can no longer be worn! --+SOLE/Additional Sole, a new project by shoemaker Hiroshi Kida, who lives in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, will replace and restore sneaker soles using leather shoe repair techniques. Mr. Kida himself will be accepting repairs at the men's festival " Tokyo Men's Fest 2017 @ Isetan ," which will be held from September 13th (Wed) to 18th (Mon/Holiday).

Create original soles for a "new form of repair."

+SOLE, a repair service that transforms classic Nike and Adidas sneakers into visually interesting shoes by replacing the soles with Vibram or crepe soles, is handled by Hiroshi Kida, a shoe craftsman who also runs the Hiroshi Kida shoe brand, which has an atelier in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, and is committed to authentic handmade craftsmanship.

He says that he happened to see a pair of Reebok Pump Fury sneakers with Vibram soles on social media and thought, "This is an interesting idea, but the combination with the upper is a bit disappointing," which led him to start +SOLE.

He continues, "Some time later, I got the idea to try removing the soles from the Stan Smiths I was wearing. I peeled off the soles, attached welts, and did a Goodyear welt construction, and when I wore them myself, they were well-received... I then displayed the prototypes at my own brand's exhibition, and that's when Isetan Men's approached me about this project."

Mr. Kida, who says, "I'm a shoemaker, so...", focused on doing "more than just repairs" with +SOLE. He didn't just attach ready-made soles, but also developed original soles for +SOLE.
"The original sole is a combination of leather, EVA, and rubber, and it is thicker and lighter than off-the-shelf soles. For example, when people replace the soles of shoes with thinner soles, such as Stan Smiths, they say that they are 'softer to wear, more comfortable, and gentler on the feet,'" says Kida.

The repaired soles create a unique and appealing "oddness" that is part of their charm.

I like shoes with unique and distinctive designs.

Mr. Kida, who moved to Tokyo from Fukushima in the early 1990s, was inspired by John Moore's combat shoes at the select shop "READY STEADY GO!" in Daikanyama, and is one of those who entered the world of shoemaking.

"I think most shoe designers and craftsmen of our generation have been influenced by the shoes of John Moore and Dirk Bikkembergs," says Kida, who himself runs the shoe brand Hiroshi Kida, which has an atelier in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture, and is committed to authentic handmade craftsmanship.


"I can sew both hand-sewn and Norwegian-knit shoes, so when I debuted, I started with handmade shoes, and now I deliver shoes using the 90% finished method. What keeps me from getting bored with shoemaking is the fun of seeing my ideas take shape. I still like shoes with unique and distinctive designs. Even though I work in Iwaki City, I don't feel any time lag between Tokyo and I when it comes to manufacturing."

Unconventional designs, combined with creativity, may be giving rise to new forms of repair.

NEXT> Six years have passed since 3.11, and here are my thoughts on Iwaki City today.