The shoes created by shoemaker Kentaro Gobo in collaboration with sports brands are more than just sneakers; they are footwear that reflects the realities of society.

The modernity of crafted sneakers.

Kentaro Gobo runs "GRENSTOCK," a shoe repair and custom shoemaking business in Saitama and Tokyo. He is in charge of planning and designing the new shoes being released by Le Coq Sportif. Gobo has previously been involved in the planning of various types of shoes, including leather shoes, designer shoes, and sneakers.

"I've been involved with Le Coq Sportif for about two and a half years now. The person in charge, Mr. Yamanaka, set up the framework for 'crafted sneakers.' Based on that, I considered the stance of embodying market-in in a social sense. How much can we commit to the current social situation? In a time when terms like 'new normal' are being whispered, it's about what kind of shoes should be to meet the needs of today's lifestyle."

Yasuhiro Yamanaka, who is in charge of Le Coq Sportif, says that the shoe market is still not adequately responding to the social conditions that Mr. Gobo has pointed out.

"For example, I personally like sneakers from sports brands, but the reality is that the only occasions I can wear them are during my free time on weekends. Nowadays, sneakers are perfectly acceptable as footwear for working styles, but the appeal of them as shoes that can be worn five days a week is insufficient. I wanted to add more variety to sneakers that can be worn in everyday business settings."


Mr. Gobo and Mr. Yamanaka and others conducted various discussions and arrived at a simple plain derby style, similar to officer shoes, and a comfortable oblique last.

"With the way sports manufacturers make them, the gap between the wings on a Derby shoe is quite wide. We had many discussions to see how close we could get to the look of an officer's shoe."

"That's what Mr. Gobo said. It was about how much dress shoe-like sensibility to incorporate into the manufacturing standards of a sports manufacturer's sneakers. On the other hand, Mr. Gobo also said that things that are unacceptable in leather shoe construction are acceptable in sneakers. This time, the heel area is not held in place by a counter (reinforcement material) like that found in leather shoes, but by a heel clip, a structure that holds the upper part of the heel. Also, the sole unit has side riggers to prevent lateral movement. "These are some of the ideas that are different from leather shoes," said Mr. Gobo. He continued:


"The reason I had officer shoes in mind was because I wanted something that was somewhat like a uniform. Something that looks ordinary at first glance, but that guarantees comfort and mobility. It's more like 'footwear' than just shoes or sneakers."



Text: Yukihiro Sugawara
Photographs: Satoko Imazu