In a quiet quarter of Munich Haidhausen, which is just 2 km away from the central square Marienplatz, in a typical old house you can find the workshop of the Japanese shoemaker Ryota Hayafuji.
Ryota Hayafuji
After working as a shoe salesman in Tokyo, Ryota Hayafuji moved to London to study at Cordwainers’ College. He graduated with a Higher National Diploma in Footwear Technology. After getting some experience in shoemaking in Paris and in shoe reparation in Tokyo, he moved to Munich in 2012 and opened his own workshop, where he hand-crafts bespoke shoes.
The shoes that you see on the picture above are more than 10 years old, the condition is still great, only the sole has been changed. With proper care, high-quality leather shoes will last а long time. Therefore, the high price tag of hand made shoes is more justified. The average price of shoes from Ryota Hayafuji is around 3,500 euros.
Some examples of Ryota Hayafuji’s work.
“My shoes look like they could have been worn in the 1920s or ‘30s. I only make designs with understated beauty. I want my shoes to be timeless, not gaudy.”
Ryota Hayafuji
Here is the master’s workbench. The place where magic happens.
Everything is handmade using these tools.
A choice of leather to suit all tastes.
We paid the visit to Ryota Hayafuji together with Breguet. Therefore, of course, we had some watches with us. I couldn’t think of anything better to match his shoes with the classical and elegant pink gold watch Breguet Classique 7147 with a guilloche dial. This watch fits so perfectly to all those shoes, but also to the interiors of the workshop.
Breguet Classique 7147
Rose gold case in 40 mm. A silvered 18K gold dial with hand-guilloché that includes three different motifs: ‘Clous de Paris’ for the center of of the dial, satin brushed hours chapter ring and woven motif for the offset small seconds subdial. Inside is the extra-thin self-winding movement, Cal. 502.3SD. 45-hour power reserve. Inverted in-line lever escapement with silicon pallets. Balance spring in silicon. Balance frequency 3Hz.
Creative people like Ryota Hayafuju always have some cool small things staying around. Moreover Mr. Hayafuji is a vintage lover. So, there were, for sure, some interesting pieces around. Just before leaving the workshop, I walked around once again and captured few interesting objects.
