madrasAn Elegant Leather Shoe with High Performance

Madras, which is now 102 years old, has long had a serious focus on making shoes.

While cherishing tradition, it flexibly incorporates the trends of the times and the latest technologies, and it is still constantly innovating. It has grown from its flagship brand, madras, to a total of 17 brands, including men's and women's. Before mentioning the brand's obsession, let's start by looking back at madras' history of influencing the Japanese shoe industry. The original Iwata Shoten store was founded in 1915. The second generation, Takeshichi Iwata, believed that "the era of shoes, not zori, will come" and in 1921 founded Asia Shoes (renamed Asia Shoes in 1959), whose main business is the manufacture of leather shoes. With the introduction of American Goodyear welt-type machines, shoemaking began in earnest. A major turning point was the technical partnership with Italian firm madras. In 1965, he visited the factory to learn about the production background and techniques of Italy, where he came across the Mackay process, a traditional technique of the Marque region. He set out to make shoes using the Mackay process and became such a symbol of the company that he was later called 'Mackay sewn madras'. In 1983, the company changed its name to the current madras Corporation, and in 1994 it acquired the worldwide madras trademark. They are light, easy to fit, and comfortable for Japanese feet. And yet it has an elegant and beautiful Italian look. This combination of looks and comfort is probably why madras has gained acceptance and support in Japan.

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Now the company is also focusing on functionality to provide a more comfortable fit. We started looking at function in the first place 10 years ago when rubber soles were billed as rainy-day shoes. It may be the trend of the times that led to the feature, but it's safe to say that madras caught the trend early.
As proof of this, in 2002, the company released madras Walk, a brand equipped with Gore-Tex fabrics, which were heavily used for outdoor gear. They kept the elegant look of leather shoes and created a steady stream of walkable and functional models, including waterproof and breathable weatherproof shoes.

Most notably, MODELLO is positioned as the second line of madras. The brand name means "model" in Italian and was born in 1990 as a more functional brand. It has a range of features, including Gore-Tex fabrics, waterproof leather and antibacterial and deodorant protection. Furthermore, the catch phrase of the MODELLO Walk, which started in spring/summer 2022 after a full stop, is "Japan's first overwhelming feature." The cup insoles feature the independently developed NEW FINE Plus, which suppresses the growth of bacteria and viruses, and as the catch phrase suggests, MODELLO's performance is overwhelmingly high.
What's more, they have almost the same sole as sneakers, so they're perfectly comfortable, and each foot weighs an astonishing 300 grams. The basic design makes it easy to incorporate, and the price is more reasonable than madras, making it a perfect entry model. In part because of the long-running sneaker boom, young people are increasingly turning away from leather shoes. But MODELLO, the casual sneaker-like addition to the mix, could be its lifesaver. And the evolution of leather shoes, the mission of the 100 company, will continue.

快適性にとことんこだわった機能的な革靴

Despite their elegant appearance, these MODELLO Walk shoes are as comfortable as sneakers. The upper is made of waterproof, antibacterial and antiviral cowhide, and Gore-Tex fabrics make it weatherproof.
The lace-stay section has side elastic, which makes it easy to slip on and off without untying the shoe lace. There's also a lot of madras attention to detail, such as padding on the opening to soften the foot, which reduces stress on the foot. It's not just for businessmen who tend to be on the road, but also for those unfamiliar with leather shoes.

MODELLO Walk DMW603G

Materials: cowhide
Price (tax included): ¥17,600

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