The annual spring event at Isetan Shinjuku, the popular JM Weston pop-up store, is coming again this year!
From Wednesday, April 30th to Tuesday, May 13th, The Stage on the 1st floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building will feature special content, including the sale of the ever-popular "WESTON VINTAGE" line, as well as sales and custom orders for Russian finish calf leather models and cordovan leather models.

In this article , we interviewed three fashion experts who are currently interested in JM WESTON , in conjunction with the upcoming event.
The first person we interviewed was director Keiji Kaneko, who has worked on numerous noteworthy shops.
Mr. Kaneko, who has a deep knowledge of leather shoes, found the functionality of JM WESTON shoes in their appeal. On the day of the interview, Mr. Kaneko arrived on his bicycle, looking sharp in his "#690 Yacht" shoes, and his appearance reflected his values.

►Event information starting April 30th (Wed) Click here for details

The first JM WESTON was vintage

Keiji Kaneko worked as a buyer at the select shop "EDIFICE" and later launched "L'ECHOPPE," a shop that has attracted the attention of fashion enthusiasts. Recently, while being involved in the direction of various brands, he also runs the shop "BOUTIQUE" in Aoyama and his own brand, FOUNDOUR.

Given that Mr. Kaneko has visited France numerous times for buying trips and other purposes, one might expect him to have a very extensive JM WESTON collection. However, JM WESTON pieces he brought with him were the "#690 Yacht" and the "#321 Golf High Top Derby," which he recently purchased at Isetan.


"For me, 'Weston Vintage' was the starting point. I think it was when I was in my twenties, working as a buyer for Edifice, and I was spending so much money on clothes that I didn't have time for shoes. At the time, many of the Edifice staff wore white work pants with navy JM WESTON signature loafers, but I had a bit of a contrarian streak, so I deliberately chose a different style."

"Furthermore, in my late twenties, I preferred to wear fitted dress shoes because I wanted to give my feet a compact look. Regarding loafers, I thought it would be fine as long as they were slim and smart, like the Europeans wear. Then, one day in a vintage shop in Paris, I found a pair of signature loafers that were longer than my feet and had a width of B. Those were my first JM WESTON . They were very worn and uncomfortable, so I only wore them a few times before putting them away for a while. But when I started my shop in my forties, I had them fully repaired and wore them often for a period."


Aside from this experience, Mr. Kaneko says his first pair of JM WESTON shoes might have been the "#690 Yacht," which he bought a few years earlier at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Having worn numerous leather shoes and stocked them at the stores he's involved with, Mr. Kaneko's choice of the "#690 Yacht" seems to reflect his perspective on JM WESTON .

"I like to wear leather-soled dress shoes, the kind you'd wear with a suit, as everyday wear. Compared to British and American shoe brands, JM WESTON 's dress line didn't really stand out to me. On the other hand, I was really drawn to the '#690 Yacht' and '#321 Golf High-Top Derby' as 'tool' shoes. I actually need tool-type leather shoes for things like cycling, and JM WESTON fit that role perfectly. By 'tool,' I don't mean work shoes, but rather dressy shoes with a tool-like element that are also refined. I don't think there are any other shoes like that besides JM WESTON ."

JM WESTON 's style emphasizes storytelling.

Kaneko's outfit for the day consisted of the "#690 Yacht" jacket, cotton trousers, a polo shirt, and an unconstructed jacket.

"Today, I've paired these '#690 Yacht' shoes with 1950s American work pants, and added a touch of French flair with French Lacoste shoes. This jacket is also based on French workwear, but it uses Japanese ikat fabric. The overall look is workwear-inspired, but I've added Pantherella socks to give it a slightly dressy feel."


"In the case of the '#321 Golf High Top Derby,' I paired it with a denim set-up to create an American work boot-like look. I consider the character of the shoes when deciding what to pair them with, but recently I've been finding it interesting to mix in some American elements into my styling. And while the look may seem basic, I think the story behind it is important when styling these JM WESTON shoes. There's a French filter somewhere, which gives it an ambiguous, neutral feel, and I like that. I think the outfit with this '#690 Yacht' would look different if I paired it with American-made moccasins."

Next, Mr. Kaneko mentioned several JM WESTON models that he is interested in.

"I'm interested in the brown nubuck 'Worker Boots,' the black 'Wakey Slippers,' and the '#180 Signature Loafers' with black box calf leather and rubber soles."
This connects to what I said earlier about shoes being more like tools; I think it's cool to wear the '#180 Signature Loafers' like you would a car you use every day. Like the everyday shoes a Parisian gentleman wears. And if you intend to wear them regularly from the start, I think choosing the rubber sole is a good idea."




Furthermore, among the Weston Vintage shoes brought that day, the one that caught Mr. Kaneko's eye was "#641 Golf".

"The '#321 Golf High-Top Derby' is a boot, so I feel like it limits my outfit choices, and I'm really drawn to the '#641 Golf'. I know I'll be wearing the brown suede often, so that's fine, but this leather-soled '#641 Golf' might be the best option among them. A while ago, I might have avoided the 'Golf' because it has a strong presence, but now, imagining myself at 60 or 70, I'm starting to think that shoes like this might be better."