Shoes Like Pottery is the baby of the renowned shoe-wear brand MoonStar. Founded in Kurume, Japan in 1873, MoonStar originated as a producer of the tabi (Japanese traditional footwear which is like a five-fingered sock with a rubber sole). Only the best materials are used and skilled craftsmen construct the shoes in a similar fashion to how pottery is made - hence the brand name.
The hallmark of Shoes Like Pottery is the vulcanizing, or ka-ryu, process in Japanese, performed by only a select handful of shoe manufacturers around the world. In the ka-ryu process, each shoe is fired in a kiln which causes the sulfur mixed inside the raw rubber to chemically react, returning the rubber to its natural elasticity and creating a soft, flexible, and durable sole.
[Image of the vulcanization chemical process of rubber]
Shoes Like Pottery emerged from Japan's MoonStar brand - in 1873. MoonStar started life in a rural city named Kurume and emerged as one of the earliest producers of the tabi, a piece of traditional Japanese footwear with an emphasis on a rubber sole. 135 years later in 2008 Shoes Like Pottery was then born, as a brand that could harness the craftsmanship properties of Moonstar combined with modern aesthetics to create the ultimate plimsoll trainer.
Craftsmanship
The process of these shoes which are built in separate parts, from hand sewing the laminated canvas uppers to the final kiln work, is only done by the hands of specialist craftsmen at the Moonstar factory in Kurume in Fukuoka - in the South of the country. Fukuoka is home to Ramen soup and Bridgestone tyres, which may go some way to understanding the Ku-rya process which have made the shoes legend, Moonstar being one of only three factories in Japan still using the originally American process.
The creation of the trainer begins with a skilled craftsman attaching the upper to the outsole according to the shape of the last, before wrapping it around with tape. This process is impossible to do by machine, therefore each pair is done by hand. Shoes Like Pottery outsoles are very flexible because they are made of raw rubber that feels like soft clay, supporting the shape of each shoe. The rubber adhesive acts as a cement for the outsole to the upper, creating a resilient and lasting shoe. Once fully assembled the shoe is arranged on a rack to get ready for vulcanising in the kiln.
The shoes are fired in a 120 -C (248 -F) kiln for 70 minutes, similar to the way Japanese pottery is fired. The extreme heat and pressure causes the sulphur mixed inside the raw rubber to chemically react, returning the rubber to its original shape. Their unique ka-ryu process enables the brand to hand-craft small batches of some of the world's finest vulcanised shoes.
The foxing elastic tape around the sole is stamped with a rubber seals bearing the brand logo, resembling the traditional sealing wax used by manufacturers in the past. Each logo seal is embossed individually, which means that each pair of Shoes Like Pottery is different and unique. The soles are created to resemble a pebbled texture of raw rubber. In addition, the bottom soles of the shoes are vivid sage of blue, giving an flash of colour to every step you take.
Shoes Like Pottery now return with new colourways for their silhouette 01JP Canvas Low Trainer - perfect for the upcoming Spring/Summer season.