Hiox is a shoemaker built around made-to-order work, with its order salon "Ryusuke Kawamura" near Zoshigaya Station on the Fukutoshin subway line. The store offers two main routes: a semi-order service, in which an existing last close to the customer's foot is selected and adjusted, and a full-order service, in which an entirely new last is made for the customer alone. It welcomes people with foot concerns, anyone who has never found shoes that truly fit, and customers looking for original designs — and designer Chikako Hioki finds the right pair for each one through a personal counselling session.
Hiox runs its own brands — "Ryusuke Kawamura", "PER SIRENE" and "hio" — and trains both seasoned craftspeople and the young artisans who will carry the trade forward, contributing meaningfully to the industry. Most Japanese shoemakers divide work between specialists, but at Hiox every artisan can carry out the whole process — last-making, pattern-making and upper assembly are all done in its in-house workshop. The company carries on its work with one guiding belief: "Don't make the foot fit the shoe — deliver shoes that fit the foot."
Japan's leather-shoe industry traces its roots to pre-war military boots, and has long been treated as a mass-production industry — most companies were geared to making good shoes in large numbers.
Behind the scenes, though, there is a quiet movement to support the customers that mass-production cannot — by drawing on decades of experience and research. Hiox is one of the companies doing that work. Pattern-making and last-making are the foundations of shoemaking, and each maker researches and develops its own. Mainstream manufacturers have to design for the foot shape of the majority, and plenty of people end up with shoes that just don't fit. After this interview we came away convinced that Hiox is shouldering an important role — rescuing people who put up with pain or settle for shoes that don't fit them properly.
A brief note on order-made shoes: there are two routes. A full order, in which an entirely new last is carved from the customer's own foot shape; and a semi-order, in which an existing last close in shape is chosen and then adjusted to the customer. Either way, the foot has to be measured in detail. Three-dimensional measurement machines have come a long way, but in the end the artisan's experience is decisive. Because each pair is built on its own last the price is high — and yet customers keep coming, which surely speaks to the unrivalled comfort and the style that Hiox delivers in equal measure.
Made-to-order shoes are popular with men as well as women because they let you have the exact design you actually want to wear. No more giving up on a design you love because it doesn't fit, or forcing your feet into shoes that don't suit them — that is the real pleasure of order-made. Sizing used to vary maker to maker, making it a chore to pin down the right fit. With order-made, once a last is built it can be re-used, so the fit stays essentially the same. And if the shoes start to fit less well over time, they can be adjusted. Behind even one pair of order-made shoes is a body of experience and knowledge — without it, the maker can't even begin the conversation with the customer.
Hiox puts serious effort into training the next generation, passing down the experience and knowledge built up over the years. From veterans in their eighties to newcomers in their twenties, every artisan is a professional — they work in their own specialism but pitch in on other steps when they have time. The veterans, too, are sharpening their craft every day, no matter their age, and passing it on to whoever comes next.
"Ryusuke Kawamura" also stocks the original brand by its owner and designer, Chikako Hioki. The shoes use carefully chosen materials, are built almost to order-made standards, and have genuinely appealing designs. Anyone who has spent years forcing their feet into off-the-shelf shoes, or who struggles to find a good fit, will learn something just from seeing them. If you are looking for a one-of-a-kind pair, this is a place worth visiting.