Easy made-to-measure with iD-FOOT, COMPASS's measurement system.
Most of us choose shoes in the same size every time — but that size is often more a habit than a fact, and the shoes we pick may not really fit. Getting the size wrong leads to foot trouble, and trouble in the feet can ripple out through the whole body. Knowing your own foot shape is what matters when shoes are chosen, but measuring it properly is awkward and surprisingly hard. iD-FOOT, developed by COMPASS, solves that in one step: a breakthrough system that lets anyone measure their feet in detail with ease.
Cutting-edge shoe selection — measure your size with ease.
COMPASS produces the men's labels BROTHER BRIDGE and CIRCINUS, plus the children's brand chamny. Every pair is built with care by craftspeople who do not compromise on detail, and the company also takes OEM work for outside brands. Its in-house lines are sold in retail shops and online, while at the flagship store customers could have shoes built to a pattern order — but the pandemic made it harder for many to come in to the shop. The team set about designing a way for customers to order shoes without visiting the store, and in 2021 iD-FOOT was born: a forward-looking, ground-breaking system that lets anyone measure their own feet easily using a smartphone or tablet, then use those measurements to order shoes — or simply as a reference when choosing other footwear. It is straightforward to use: just film a short video on your phone or tablet and upload it.Just two short videos per foot deliver a detailed measurement.
What you'll need to measure your feet is a smartphone or tablet plus the dedicated guide sheet, which you can download from the iD-FOOT website and print at A4. After that, just follow the instructions and shoot a short video of your feet. A few cautions: first, fix the guide sheet to the floor with tape, but don't cover the corners — if any corner curls up the measurement won't come out right. Then place one bare foot on the centre of the guide sheet and start filming. You film two short videos per foot. The first sweeps around the foot in a 360-degree arc: the guide sheet is marked with arrows numbered 1 through 11, and you pause the video for three seconds at each position, holding the phone or tablet at a 45-degree angle to the floor. The second video records the toes opening and closing: hold the device perpendicular to the floor, then pause for three seconds with the toes clenched and three seconds with them open. In both videos, make sure the whole guide sheet and the ankle are in frame. Once you've filmed both feet, just upload the four videos to the iD-FOOT site. That's the whole process — easy for anyone to use, anywhere.A system that lets Asakusa's leather shoes reach the world
Today, the iD-FOOT system lets customers order made-to-measure CIRCINUS shoes. After you upload the video, a try-on pair is shipped to your home; you try it on, confirm the fit, and return the try-on pair if all is well. Then the actual made-to-measure pair goes into production. Until now, CIRCINUS only offered pattern orders, with sizing chosen from standard sizes — but with iD-FOOT, customers can order in the size that exactly fits their own foot, at an accessible price and with a fast turnaround. And iD-FOOT also lets overseas customers place orders, opening up Asakusa's leather shoes to the world. The opposite is true too: if overseas makers adopt iD-FOOT, customers in Japan can have leather shoes made to measure abroad. As the system spreads worldwide, traditional leather shoes from any country can be ordered in your own size.Less surplus stock means a smaller environmental footprint too.
iD-FOOT is just as useful for online shopping. It resolves the slight size differences that exist between brands, letting customers find a perfect pair without ever trying them on physically — a meaningful step towards sustainable consumption. Bricks-and-mortar shops stock a wide range of designs and sizes to meet every need, but stock that never sells through often ends up being discarded. Online shopping, meanwhile, generates exchanges and returns whose constant back-and-forth burns a lot of energy. If more people choose their shoes using iD-FOOT measurements, that waste — of materials and of energy — can be cut, and only the shoes that are actually needed will be produced. That, in turn, will help advance one of the United Nations' SDGs: ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns.Fitting is also fine-tuned with insoles and pads as needed.
Going forward, CIRCINUS plans to take insole orders via iD-FOOT videos in the same way as shoes. Insoles are faster to produce than made-to-measure shoes and can be fitted into any pair the customer already loves; swapping insoles helps keep the arch and heel from shifting, giving you a more comfortable fit easily. BROTHER BRIDGE plans to use iD-FOOT measurements to recommend socks tailored to each foot — another fitting-adjustment service in the works that lifts comfort without much time or cost. With iD-FOOT, developed by COMPASS, you no longer have to put up with shoes that don't quite fit; the system helps you find a pair you can wear for years. And the deeper attachment that comes with shoes made truly for you is part of the appeal.
