Located in the men's shoe section on the first basement floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building which stocks the world's finest men's shoes, CALMANTHOLOGY , a genuine Japanese shoe brand that exhibits beauty, presence, and quality comparable to that of major European and American shoe brands. We spoke with shoe designer Makoto Kaneko, who can already be called a representative of Japan, about the thoughts behind his artistic craftsmanship and image building.

Let's start with the concept as a fashion item and the packaging.

CALMANTHOLOGY 's debut was remarkably quiet and impactful.

My personal encounter with the brand began with an email I received in early summer last year. The letter, announcing the launch of a new ready-to-wear men's shoe brand, accompanied a portrait of a man standing in a nihilistic and serene space. He was dressed in nonchalant, refined casual attire, and his feet were adorned with beautiful plain-toe shoes, though their details were not easily discernible. It was a shoe brand, yet it deliberately avoided emphasizing the shoes. I felt it had the visual appeal of a fashion brand.

However, this solid worldview and image-building centered on fashion may be the true strength of Makoto Kaneko, the man behind CALMANTHOLOGY .

"When I decided to start my own brand, I had a lot of internal struggles. I wondered if it was really okay to just pursue the shoes I wanted to wear myself. For about six years, I re-examined what was expected of me and what I wanted to do, while focusing on shoes. Aiming to create the finest ready-made men's shoes in Japan, the first thing I designed wasn't the shoes themselves, but the packaging (the environment surrounding the shoes, such as shoe boxes and displays)."


It's quite surprising, and very unique, that they started the design process for their new brand by designing the packaging rather than the product itself.

"For example, we considered how to design the boxes and how to arrange them. We pursued how much care we could put into creating the packaging in order to establish the concept as a fashion item that includes the shoes. I'm a bit of a perfectionist (laughs), so I wanted to start by building a solid foundation."

I will refrain from going into detail about Mr. Kaneko's almost obsessive dedication to shoemaking, and the kind of "insights" that would prove CALMANTHOLOGY 's shoes are on par with those of the great Western powers. I believe their true essence lies not in their specifications, but in their refined aesthetic sense.

"I feel like the background of my grandfather running a tailor shop is growing stronger and stronger within me. I often visited my grandfather's workshop when I was little, and he would tell me about the difficulty and fun of pattern making, almost as if he were boasting about it. Of course, I cherish the suit that my grandfather himself made for me. That's one of the reasons I aspired to become a fashion designer, but I've come to realize that I actually prefer wearing clothes to making them."


The foundational experiences gained in a bespoke tailor's workshop, the experience accumulated through pursuing the joy of dressing up, and the unwavering sensibility and aesthetic sense cultivated along the way—behind the craftsmanship that attracts so many shoe enthusiasts lies a fashionable "image" permeated by a unique and unparalleled aesthetic.

A modern interpretation of the elegance of Monsieur Yves Saint Laurent.

It may be a bit late to mention this, but CALMANTHOLOGY is a combination of the words CALM (silence) and ANTHOLOGY (collection of poems). Therefore, for its second season, the brand is presenting a collection titled "A Collection of Poems Without Words," PAGE.02.

"For PAGE.01 (my debut collection), I only included things I liked. I drew 12 designs that honestly welled up from within me. In other words, it's like I just did everything I wanted to do and put it all together (laughs). That's why PAGE.02 was all the more difficult. I think about the next season while serving customers at the exhibition venue, and I felt that I wanted to make (PAGE.02) even more elegant. And along with the word 'elegance,' the image that came to mind was a young Yves Saint Laurent."



Yves Saint Laurent, who became the chief designer for Christian Dior at the young age of 21, left Dior and, after completing his military service in 1962, established his own eponymous fashion house. He was a rare artist who attracted attention not only for his creations but also for his understated yet sophisticated and elegant style.

"His style around 1962 was truly elegant. Even when he was dressed casually in a white shirt and tie, he looked incredibly handsome... It's an image of the person, but the starting point for PAGE.02 was Yves Saint Laurent himself. If we were to update his image with a modern interpretation, it couldn't just be basic. We wanted to subtly incorporate design elements somewhere."

Last season, they offered 12 pairs of shoes that could be called the ultimate standard, but this season, Kaneko has challenged himself with his own unique "designs" and "breaking the mold." Indeed, looking at the new monkey boots "LINEMAN" as an example, the way the heel curves upward is incredibly sexy and elegant.

"I always want to explore different things, so this season I've incorporated 'design' elements even into the basics. I've deliberately added a slight 'breakdown' to the forms. It's something so subtle you can barely see it, but it's a big challenge for me."

11月28日（水）からIsetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building地下1階＝紳士靴において、早くも2回目となるポップアップショップが開催される。なにか前回以上に期待していることはあるかという問いかけに対し、照れ笑いを浮かべながらもこんなエピソードを教えてくれた。

"Last time, we focused on universal standards, and the pop-up store received a great response. I was also on hand at the store, and I was truly happy when customers told me, 'I'm so glad I found these shoes.' That's why I'm really looking forward to seeing how customers will receive the challenge of PAGE.02. Because we've added design to the shoes, they might feel a little lacking when paired with basic clothes... If customers connect it to their overall styling, like trying a shirt with design details or a playful jacket, there would be no greater joy for me."


Yves Saint Laurent is known as a fashion reformer who liberated fashion from taboos and prejudices, bringing about pure exploration and evolution. Would it be an exaggeration to say that I sense a similar ambition in Mr. Kaneko's endeavors?

Photo: Natsuko Okada
Text: Junya Hasegawa (america)

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Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building , B1F = Men's Shoes
03-3352-1111 (main representative)