Hello.
I'm Noguchi from CASANOVA&CO.
Today is a bit of a special edition.
This is a story from about a year ago.
I received an email from a certain person.
His name was "Takeyuki Hashimoto".
I was startled.
There were two reasons why I was startled.
One was because he was someone I had been planning to contact myself.
And the other was because he was someone I had admired for a long time.
I immediately opened the email I received, my heart pounding, but it took me a while to reply for various reasons.
After about three weeks, I replied to the email, and from there, we adjusted our schedules and decided to meet in Yokohama.
Mr. Hashimoto is a shoemaker.
The email asked me to take a look at the shoes he was making for a project called "LEVER," and just as the email suggested, he showed me LEVER's leather shoes.
I was completely overwhelmed by their unusual appearance, but at the same time, I became very interested in Mr. Hashimoto as a person.
I knew all the public information about Mr. Hashimoto, and I had also heard personal details about him from others who had helped me. That's why I felt there was something significant "to be unraveled" beyond his career and words.
I felt that otherwise, I wouldn't find the answer to this "unusualness."
No, to rephrase it, because I felt something akin to a sanctuary in the world of craftsmen, who must take responsibility for tradition and history, I realized that even if I focused on Mr. Hashimoto's technical prowess, I wouldn't be able to enter that sacred realm and unravel LEVER.
I believe all I can do is be sensitive to his personality and emotional nuances, and to empathize or offer opinions. So, through that, I wanted to get a little closer to the "person Takeyuki Hashimoto" and his persona as a "shoemaker upholding British tradition," and I had a conversation with him.
I'll write down what I heard and felt during that conversation.
Mr. Hashimoto moved to the UK alone immediately after graduating from high school.
Based on Mr. Hashimoto's age, the fashion culture in Japan at the time was in the midst of the Ura-Harajuku and vintage clothing booms.
I had assumed that choosing England amidst such a social trend meant he had intended to pursue shoemaking from the very beginning, but it turns out I was wrong.
During Mr. Hashimoto's school days, although there weren't any "yankees" (delinquents) in his class, the cool kids in his year were apparently deeply immersed in British culture.
He said that many of his friends had strong identities, like "I'm a Mod!", "I'm a Teddy Boy!", or "I'm a Punk!".
In modern terms, they were "reppin'" their respective cultures.
However, Mr. Hashimoto apparently never aligned himself with anything specific or positioned himself within a particular culture.
Nevertheless, he listened to popular bands like Oasis at the time, and had a vague admiration for British culture. When he realized that he couldn't pursue a satisfactory path in Japan, he apparently pleaded with his parents to let him go to the UK to decide his future.
Thus, he gained the opportunity to study in England.
For the first two years or so, he wandered around, attending language school and studying photo development, all while searching for his path.
In his own words, it was a "leisurely study abroad." (laughs)
However, about two years after arriving in the UK, a turning point came.
He learned about Cordwainers, a globally renowned shoemaking school, and since he was already interested in how shoes were made, he intuitively decided to enroll.
However, Cordwainers had actually been acquired by the London College of Fashion a few years before Hashimoto's enrollment, and its educational curriculum had completely changed from when it was a prestigious school.
The Cordwainers' emphasis on shoemaking techniques and history had reportedly shifted to a more commercial aspect, focusing on marketing and design presentations under the London College of Fashion's umbrella.
For Mr. Hashimoto at the time, who had decided to enroll, driven by a curiosity about how the leather shoes he bought soon after arriving in London were made, this environment felt incongruous. After graduation, he spent his days with a few friends in a workshop, continuously striving to create new ways of making leather shoes that had never been seen before.
Rather than researching the "classics" like the history and traditions of shoes, he focused on his own sensibilities and kept creating.
He continued to create, and at one point, Mr. Hashimoto completed his masterpiece with all his might.
This masterpiece, crafted entirely by hand without any machinery, was made in Mr. Hashimoto's own inexplicably unique way.
However, when he looked back at his heartfelt masterpiece, he suddenly realized, "Isn't this just a moccasin in terms of construction?"
From this experience, Mr. Hashimoto realized something.
"Hasn't everything that can be done with handmade shoes already been exhausted in the world of classics?"
And,
"The evolution of shoes can only happen with sneakers."
He thought.
Mr. Hashimoto's next action, after feeling this way, was clear.
He decided to apprentice himself to Mr. Jason Amesbury, whom he still respects as his master, believing that he needed to understand the world of classics to deepen his own leather shoemaking.
Thus, "Takeyuki Hashimoto, who is established in the British bespoke shoe industry" was born.
Mr. Hashimoto, who considers himself British-born in terms of his artisan personality, began his apprenticeship under Mr. Jason Amesbury.
As mentioned earlier, Mr. Hashimoto is a "shoemaker."
In the British bespoke industry, where various processes are specialized to complete a single pair of leather shoes, this refers to the craftsman responsible for attaching the soles.
This division of labor is broadly subdivided into last maker, pattern cutter, clicker (cutting craftsman), closer (sewing craftsman), and maker (sole attachment craftsman).
Each craftsman is responsible for their respective process, but there are "constraints" within each process.
The last maker is constrained to create a beautiful representation of the requested design while matching the customer's foot shape.
The pattern cutter is constrained to match the customer's chosen design to the last made by the last maker.
The clicker (cutting craftsman) is constrained to cut from the chosen leather at the optimal position.
The closer (sewing craftsman) is constrained to perform the optimal stitching for the specified last, design, and specifications.
And the maker (sole attachment craftsman), after everything else has been decided, must finish the shoe beautifully while ensuring its performance.
Mr. Hashimoto's role is to be this maker.
Hearing this, I felt that each craftsman was expected to demonstrate their utmost skill only within the given instructions and constraints.
But apparently, that's not actually the case.
While it's a fundamental premise to uphold the preferences of the maison, there is apparently "room" for each craftsman to express their individuality even within the constraints.
In fact, if a shoe was handled by one of Hashimoto's close colleagues, one could tell whose sole it was just by looking at the shoe.
To that extent, in each process, each craftsman hones their skills and the character of their philosophy, engaging with each and every pair of shoes.
This is the world of British bespoke shoes where Mr. Hashimoto was "born and raised."
While apprenticing under Jason Amesbury in this British bespoke industry, Mr. Hashimoto apparently received these words:
Jack of all trades, master of none
A jack of all trades is a master of none.
I believe that Mr. Hashimoto's fundamental way of thinking and his origin as a craftsman in the British bespoke industry contribute to the "unusualness" of LEVER.
Over the past year of working with Mr. Hashimoto, I've felt a peculiar sense of discomfort from LEVER's shoes.
I described it as "unusualness" earlier, but perhaps a more accurate expression is that I felt there was a disconnect between the public information about Mr. Hashimoto and the aesthetic of LEVER.
However, through my recent conversations with Mr. Hashimoto, that connection was firmly established.
And because of that, I can say that LEVER is both an anomaly and a top-tier brand in the genre of ready-to-wear shoes.
So, what was the "unusualness" I felt? It was that despite Mr. Hashimoto being a pure-blooded craftsman from the British bespoke shoe industry, LEVER seemed to possess a tolerance that allowed for freedom within the strictness characteristic of classic styles.
This might sound a bit nuanced, but in short,
Since he was an apprentice, he had been doing sole attachment as an outworker for bespoke shoemaking houses such as John Lobb, Foster & Son, and Gaziano & Girling.
I think the nature of the customers of such brands and their attire might have a "clear tendency" that can be categorized in a certain way.
Well, essentially, the image is of gentlemen from the British upper class, dressed in proper suits or traditional styles even in casual wear.
And I believe those bespoke shoemaking houses also target such customers.
I had always perceived Mr. Hashimoto as a craftsman with a career in such a world, and thus expected LEVER to be similar. However, while LEVER inherits the tradition and aesthetics of British bespoke, its essence is entrusted to the wearer's style.
That's where I felt the tolerance.
The true nature of this tolerance.
To borrow Mr. Hashimoto's words,
"As a craftsman, I believe the beauty output from the British bespoke world is the ultimate, but as a wearer, I have absolutely no interest in the preferences or worldview of those who are obsessed with the British bespoke world."
That's what he said.
This was a bit surprising and quite interesting to me.
LEVER is led by Mr. Hashimoto, who has been responsible for soling leather shoes for various top-tier bespoke shoemaking houses.
Mr. Hashimoto's career to date has been solely within the "bespoke" world, and as his earlier words indicate, his persona as a craftsman is that of a British bespoke purist.
However, LEVER is a ready-to-wear shoe project.
...This leads to a new question.
"Why is LEVER ready-to-wear?"
One might easily think, "Why not just make it a bespoke brand?" but here too, the words from his master come into play.
"Jack of all trades, master of none"
Mr. Hashimoto, a master of sole attachment, is not incapable of tasks such as last making or cutting.
However, entrusting each process to its respective master is a natural progression for Mr. Hashimoto, who was born and raised in the world of British bespoke, and he believes it is the best system.
In other words, for Mr. Hashimoto to operate a bespoke shoe brand, he would need to measure customers' feet and carve lasts himself, but he has no inclination to do so and does not believe it to be the best option.
This means that if Mr. Hashimoto is to establish a leather shoe brand, the existence of a craftsman who can make lasts (shoe trees) is indispensable.
This inevitably leads to a structure where Mr. Hashimoto supervises everything, pouring his years of aesthetic sensibility, skill, and taste cultivated in the British bespoke industry into pre-determined lasts, designs, and size ranges.
This style merely falls under the definition of ready-to-wear shoes.
This is LEVER's philosophy.
It's completely different from ready-to-wear shoes in the typical sense of "mass production."
And as mentioned before, I believe this leads to LEVER's unique "coexistence of strictness and tolerance," and it has become an allure that transcends mere technique, overflowing from its philosophy.
Mr. Hashimoto, during his high school years, never aligned himself with specific subcultures like Mods or Punks.
And even when working with bespoke shoemaking houses like John Lobb, he never compromised his own beliefs to conform to the style of their enthusiastic customers.
From his youth, when he pursued unprecedented craftsmanship, to the present, where he continues to perfect his skills and aesthetics as a maker, considering the traditions of the classical world to be the ultimate beauty.
I feel that this is why LEVER is not just beautiful shoes, or just amazing shoes.
And once again, I am truly happy to be able to introduce such LEVER in our store.
LEVER order exhibition
2026.01.24(SAT) - 2026.01.25(SUN)
It's still a bit far off, but Mr. Hashimoto will be at our store on January 24th and 25th, 2026.
Mr. Hashimoto will be able to perform fittings on these two days.
We plan to borrow product samples and fitting shoes for about 5 days before and after, so you can place orders during that time as well.
Details regarding ordering will be announced closer to the event date, along with information on each model and the characteristics of LEVER shoes, but delivery is expected in about half a year.
LEVER and Mr. Hashimoto, inheriting the tradition and aesthetics of British bespoke, yet striving to bring them into a new world.
They are beautiful, very human, cool shoes, and a cool person.
I hope that everyone with their own style will feel the freedom of LEVER.
I'll introduce more later.