This past June, the 110th "PITTI IMMAGINE UOMO" was held in Florence, Italy. At the venue, attendees could check out the next season's trends proposed by each brand, and buyers also made purchases, special order projects, and merchandising requests for valuable brands and items for customers of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . This is the fourth and final installment of our series introducing noteworthy items selected by buyer Narihiro Fukushima.

►Previous articles can be found here

To Bologna, a city where tradition thrives.

Leaving Florence behind, we took an express train to Bologna, a journey of about 40 minutes. Our destination was a shoe workshop in this city. Bologna is a vibrant and beautiful university town characterized by its beautiful red brick buildings and the World Heritage-listed covered porticoes. It is home to one of the oldest universities in the world and is said to be the birthplace of spaghetti bolognese. Bologna Central Station is small in size, but it has a huge, labyrinthine structure that extends down to four underground levels, and it is known as a station where it is easy to get lost because the exits are not easy to find.

A small, elite team supports this prestigious workshop, where skilled craftsmanship underpins 350 processes.

"The place I visited was the workshop of Enzo Bonafe a shoe brand founded in Bologna in 1963. The factory, tucked away in a residential area, is not particularly large, with a total of about 30 employees. They produce about 30 pairs of shoes here every day. The workshop gives the impression that the craftsmanship of artisans is alive and well in every detail, and it's clear that they continue to produce high-quality shoes."

Here you can see a craftsman shaping the soles inside the factory. Enzo Bonafe shoes require approximately 350 steps (*) per pair. While there are large machines, about half of the process relies on the skilled hands of craftsmen.

"Polishing the soles is done by hand by skilled craftsmen. The front picture shows the soles before work, and the back picture shows them after. They are carefully polished, the edges are trimmed, and the edging is painted. I felt that it is precisely because the workshop is run by a small, highly skilled team that they can produce shoes of uncompromising quality."

Here, Fukushima exchanged information about the current shoe trends in Italy and Japan.

"In Japan, casual shoes such as loafers are popular, but there are also customers who seek better dress shoes. When I explained this to Bonafe, they said that they want to meet customer expectations while continuing to carry on traditional shoemaking techniques."

We exchanged opinions on dress shoes that embody the techniques and dedication cultivated over more than half a century of history.

"For customers seeking something truly exceptional, they introduced this one-piece heel counter. While typical leather shoes often use a split-stitch construction in this area, creating a one-piece design requires highly advanced lasting techniques. This workshop is capable of producing such beautiful heel cups."

The black finish on the outsole, often seen on bespoke shoes, is a feature unique to high-end footwear. Of course, this painting is also done by hand by skilled craftsmen.

"We exchanged ideas based on a workshop visit and past samples regarding the meticulously crafted formal shoes (one-piece) that our customers desire. They have expressed a positive attitude towards creating models that incorporate specifications that have become less common recently, and we will continue to refine our ideas together for the 2027 Spring/Summer collection."

A tradition of shoemaking passed down through family bonds.

Many Italian brands are family businesses, and Enzo Bonafe is also family-run. In the center of this picture is Guerina, the wife of the founder, the late Enzo Bonafe. She is still an active craftswoman, involved in wooden mold making, pattern making, and cutting. To the right is her son, Massimo, and to the left is her cousin, Benedetta.

"After touring the workshop and having a detailed meeting, we had lunch with the family and were able to hear a lot about their passion for shoemaking. Experiencing both the techniques passed down through generations and the strong family bonds that support them has further strengthened our desire to deliver truly valuable shoes to the customers of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Please look forward to this special pair of shoes that can only be realized in this workshop."

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Fukushima Masahiro

Shinjuku Men's Department, Men's Shoes, Bags & Luggage Buyer

He joined Mitsukoshi Isetan Co., Ltd. in 2010. He has gained experience in men's shoes, bags, and leather goods in general, and currently works as a buyer for men's shoes, bags, and luggage. His hobby is saunas, and he loves sauna facilities and public bathhouses.