Petrosolaum shoes: a new Japanese footwear brand arrives in Italy
The Petrosolaum philosophy wants to mix product functionality - shoes must be tools that protect the feet - to design - shoes can be very valuable works of art.
Petrosolaum is a young Japanese brand that launched its first shoes collection with the A/W 2012-13 season. Founder and designer, together with his brother Ryo, is the Japanese stylist Sotaro Ogino. Each model of Petrosolaum shoes is created in compliance with the ancient techniques of craftsmanship of footwear: handemade stitching and finishing, use of traditional machinery, vegetable tanning. For example, among the techniques used for the creation of Petrosolaum shoes there is the so-called McKay processing. It is a method of sewing shoes obtained through a machine invented in 1858 by the American Lyman Reed Blake, then perfected by Gordon McKay who bought the patent. This machine allows to sew together the upper, the insole and the sole at the same time with simple or double thread.
If the production processes of the Petrosolaum shoes are traditional, it is the thought of Sotaro Ogino to be creative and innovative. His philosophy wants to mix product functionality - shoes must be tools that protect feet - to design - shoes can be very valuable works of art. Petrosolaum is also one of those fashion brands that care about the origins of raw materials, how they are obtained and managed. In fact, Petrosolaum cares about respect for animals, source of the leather used for its production (ostrich skin, horse skin, nubuck calf, cordovan, ...). It is therefore no coincidence that the natural qualities of processed leathers are enhanced in the Petrosolaum shoes. Even the tanning, the dye chosen to color the leather are of natural origin, confirming mission and style of Petrosolaum brand.
Each collection of Petrosolaum shoes has its own peculiarity: for example the heel or the type of coating as an alternative to fine leather. Take, for example, the Petrosolaum slit mid wood women's shoes with wooden heels. After 100% vegetable tanning of the leather, they are processed in steel drums so that wax and oil can permeate them perfectly. Then it is pressed to obtain the shiny effect on the surface. What expresses the character and personality of these women's shoes by Petrosolaum is the wooden section of the heel, combined with the central opening between the sole and the upper. The wooden heel inserted between the leather soles is balanced by the 10mm front wedge. The result is a sort of deigned lace up high heel Oxfords Shoes, a sophisticated work of miniature architecture whose real height (7 cm) is not perceived thanks to the full/empty spaces alternation that materializes the shoes' style.
Let's now take a pair of Petrosolaum shoes for men, for example the model Petrosolaum 8185-PTR2 Upheaval wedge TR low. The fabric cover is woven and composite: 32% twisted cotton, 68% washi, traditional Japanese paper, 100% bamboo yarn. Not only the surface but the entire Petrosolaum men's shoe is made of several materials, or rather, of several layers: the one in fabric covering the upper, one intermediate in pig leather and finally the inner lining in horse leather. Around the ankle and the instep pads in soft leather ensure maximum comfort, very similar to that perceivable wearing a pair of sneakers. The durable, lightweight and flexible Vibram "Megagrip" sole is made of an innovative high performance rubber compound: outstanding grip on wet and dry surfaces with extreme longevity. Petrosolaum shoes are the perfect combination of tradition and innovation, technical-productive heritage merged with technological and creative skills, where new ideas can recognize the unchanged value of their roots.
In Italy, the only dealer selling Petrosolaum shoes is Lazzari Store.