Luxury shoe brand LOUIS LEEMAN's first trunk show in Japan is being held at Isetan Men's until the 22nd. We spoke with designers Louis Leeman and Erica Pelosini, who visited Japan for the event.
This fall/winter collection's theme is "Oriental." The Oriental feel is expressed by mixing casual materials like canvas and suede with luxurious materials like Swarovski crystals. In addition to this fall/winter collection, the trunk show also featured three spring/summer collections. Featuring design motifs of women in kimonos and waves, the collection's Oriental influences are even more pronounced than this season, making it the world's first global debut.
LOUIS LEEMAN was founded three years ago when Louis, who worked as a suit designer at a renowned tailor, and Erica, who worked as a stylist and editor for fashion magazines such as Vogue, met in London. "We were looking for a new line of work that would allow us to utilize the sensibilities we'd cultivated in completely different environments. At the time, we noticed that while women's shoes were often highly designed, there wasn't much variety in men's shoes. Louis himself felt that there weren't any shoes he wanted to wear, so we decided to make them ourselves and started the brand," says Erika, explaining the background to the brand's founding. Their basic concept is "classic x traditional x edgy." Their shoes, which combine classic elements with luxury, hip-hop, and rock, quickly gained popularity as a trend-setting shoe brand, attracting music scene celebrities like The Rolling Stones, Johnny Depp, and Jay-Z as customers. Erika proposes ideas such as color and material combinations, while Louis handles the technical aspects that require specialized knowledge, such as shape and material selection. Louis' greatest influence was Tommy Nutter, a maverick and genius in the world of tailoring in the 1960s. The suit worn on the cover of The Beatles' album "Abbey Road" was also made by Tommy's "Nutters of Savile Row." "Tommy was one of the earliest designers to propose eccentric suit designs, incorporating London street and nightclub culture as well as cutting techniques. I draw a lot of inspiration from his design work," Louis says of the roots of his creations. All of Louis' shoes are made in an Italian workshop, where they are renowned for their high quality. "My current workshop is highly skilled and also produces shoes for Tom Ford, Valentino, and Dolce & Gabbana, but it focuses on classic shoes. We change our collection every season and propose new items and materials, so our inspiration often doesn't reach the artisans. I visit the workshop in person multiple times and communicate with the artisans to create a collection that is both fashionable and high quality," said Louis.
"Isetan Men's has been a retailer that has purchased our products since our debut collection, so I was very excited when we received the offer. I've always been interested in Japan, and I'm very happy that my first trunk show could be held in Japan," added Louis. The trunk show also featured a limited-edition Isetan Men's 10th Anniversary model (189,000 yen), limited to 10 pairs worldwide and numbered. The velvet shoes, embroidered with gold lions, were specially made at the same workshop that also handles Alexander McQueen embroidery. The venue, inspired by their idea of "Japan," was designed with a black, Japanese-style atmosphere. When asked about Japanese fashion, Erika, originally from Italy, said, "My favorite brands are TOGA and Sacai. Japan has a wide variety of men's fashion, so it always looks different. Italian men's fashion is classic, so it always looks the same, which is a bit disappointing (laughs)." Louis replied with a smile, "Japan imports fashion from various countries, and there are many Japanese designers active around the world, so it's a country where you can enjoy a variety of 'mixes.' I'm jealous."
