--I hear that a special edition model for Isetan Men's will be featured at the ISETAN Shoe Fair.

Hoshiba : I prefer to wear plain-toe shoes. They're military-inspired, so they're not as formal as cap-toe shoes. I've been requesting zip-up boots for a while now, as something I'd like to wear in winter.
While using Tsubouchi Pecos boots as a motif, we dyed even the stitching black and created the shoe last from scratch.
As you can see from the photos , the shaft is very narrow. It pairs perfectly with tapered denim.
Tsubouchi: I didn't have the samples ready today, but of course I've prepared the plain toe shoes that Hoshiba-san loves. They're plain toe shoes with red accents on the midsole.
The Hoshiba insoles are also bright red, so if you wear them in situations where you'll be sitting on a tatami mat, you'll definitely impress the ladies (lol).

Speaking of two, there's also car.

—And on top of that, I was really impressed by the idea of putting a sneaker sole on a dressy upper.


Tsubouchi : Shoes that prioritize comfort have always had a rather unfashionable image. But I thought there was a way to make them. Looking back, I could see signs of this in Italy in the 1990s. I was thinking it was about time to do something like this when Cole Haan's "Lunargrand" came out.
Hoshiba : That was a shock. However, if you ask me, it was a little too casual. I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to make shoes that can be worn in today's business scene.


—So that's when you had the opportunity to work with Mr. Tsubouchi.

Hoshiba : Yes. I took this as an opportunity to pour out all my feelings. Our first meeting, which started at Tsubo's favorite standing bar, was a full course that included karaoke (lol). What blew me away was that the sample that came back was exactly as I had imagined. The meeting itself was only about 10 minutes long (lol).

—That's a testament to your robust sensibilities that haven't diminished even after turning 60, and the experience you've accumulated over 40 years.

I'm sure this is something only Mr. Hoshiba Tsubo could have done, but WH has six different styles of plain toe shoes (laughs).
Tsubouchi 's first collection was designed with a more dressy look in mind. The edges were made to resemble a welt, and the protrusion was kept to a minimum. As we responded to feedback from Mr. Hoshiba and our customers, the shoe lasts and soles became more voluminous.
Hoshiba's overhanging welt is, in many ways (laughs), something every man longs for (I can't write about it in the magazine, but his analysis was so insightful it would put even the psychologist Freud to shame. If you're curious, ask him about it in the interview at the shoe exhibition).

──What's great about WH is that there's a playful side to them. They're both among the most popular men in the industry, but what they have in common is their charm. It reflects their mindset.











Text: Kei Takegawa
Photo: Yoshihiro Tsuruoka