BRASS Tokyo

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Brass Tokyo to pick up my 2 custom pairs of engineer boots. This was my favorite storefront we visited in terms of style and looks from the entire trip. As you can see from the pictures, the inside is adorned with shoes and boots, globes, and some very unique and clever lighting fixtures which really add a stylish feel to the store. I introduced myself to the guy who seemed to be running the shop (there were three Brass employees in there at the time) and he went to get my boots from upstairs, which is where the actual workshop is.

As far as I can tell, both pairs came out perfectly. The black ones are made of their Japanese veg-tanned leather and there is some wax residue left over in some places, but I don’t consider that a problem. I think they look pretty smart with the red contrast stitching and medium brown edges.

The stunners were the horsehide boots. These are easily my favorite boots that I own to this point. The leather blew me away. From what I gathered, it’s horsebutt from an Italian tannery that is sent to and finished in the Shinki tannery. It really does have a very Shinki-esque look and feel to it, whatever the amount of work that Shinki actually put into it. Either way, this is probably the best leather for boots that I have seen or handled in my life so far. I love my Role Clubs, but this leather is leagues ahead of what he uses in my eyes. The HH on those is flat and characterless in comparison. Other details include natural finished edges, 9in rather than 11in height, and some very light tan contrast stitching which I absolutely am over the moon with. Another difference is that, due to the shorter height, there are no pull straps inside of these boots.

Another point I should make is that both of these boots are Clinch size 11. My other pair of Clinch boots are the same size in the same last and fit me quite a bit more snug. I’m not sure if this is due to the Latigo leather used or the fact that these were made quite a while ago, but the difference is clear. Either way, I’m happy because the new ones fit better anyway.

I managed to learn some more information about Brass that I thought would interest several people on here, though this may not be news to you. First off, they now have 9 people who actually work on making the shoes and boots. However, the handwelting is done by only one man as of right now. I have his Instagram if anyone is interested. Also, while the inner welting is done completely by hand, the sole stitching is done with an old goodyear machine. I am not sure if this is correct, but I believe that Brian actually hand sews even the sole stitch. I did confirm with Goto-San that he does that by hand. Finally, I did get to meet the founder/owner of Brass (he is pictured next to me below) and he instantly recognized my boots and informed me that he worked on them.  I have his Instagram as well, but some of you may already follow him. All of this info was from the man who ran the shop so I believe it to be accurate.

As it turns out, Brass and Role Club are more different than I initially thought, but at this point, I would pick my Clinch boots overall. The construction is dress shoe quality (they must train their staff well), the leather choices are amazing, and the CN last is my favorite engineer boot last around. The new HH really puts them over the top.

They were also quite happy with the Bourbon and gave my brother and I Brass branded shoe horns (which I find funny to give to a guy picking up engineer boots) After this experience, I am even more of a Brass fan than I was before. I am so happy that my boots came out exactly as I wanted and that the quality actually surpasses that of my first boots. These (especially the HH ones) are my favorite boots I own right now and in my opinion, the best engineer boots that a person can buy. That said, I could understand people making the same argument for Role Club. I’ll be making a video comparing both boots soon. I prefer Clinch at this point, but my Role Clubs are not going anywhere and neither are my Lofgrens which I still love to death as well. Sorry for the long post so here are too many pictures as well! :P 

Keep in mind that the black boots were worn for several hours before these pictures were taken. I was too excited and just walked out with them!