Fab 40: Sonomitsu Shoe Shop, Tokyo

(Image credit: TBC)

Sonomitsu is one of Yanaka’s hidden gems. The gallery-style shoe boutique specializes in made-to-order footwear that perfectly embodies the neighborhood's quirkiness. Run by owner Hajime Sonoda and his team of artisan shoemakers, Sonomitsu has built its reputation on design and quality.

Not only are customers’ feet measured for size and shape, even skin type is taken into consideration when choosing the best model and leather. With a bevy of modern styles available in Japanese leathers for both sexes, it’s no wonder that prospective customers should expect a six-month wait, on average, for the finished product.

www.sonomitsu.com

Jack Moss is the Fashion & Beauty Features Director at Wallpaper*, having joined the team in 2022 as Fashion Features Editor. Previously the digital features editor at AnOther and digital editor at 10 Magazine, he has also contributed to numerous international publications and featured in ‘Dazed: 32 Years Confused: The Covers’, published by Rizzoli. He is particularly interested in the moments when fashion intersects with other creative disciplines – notably art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and reporting from international fashion weeks. Across his career, he has interviewed the fashion industry’s leading figures, including Rick Owens, Pieter Mulier, Jonathan Anderson, Grace Wales Bonner, Christian Lacroix, Kate Moss and Manolo Blahnik.