I was about to leave Florence, when Shoko Matsuoka’s shop surfaced at the beginning of an alley. I thought I knew all bespoke shoemakers in Florence, but this one I had never seen before.
There was reason. Shoko Matsuoka has opened her shop just earlier this year. She comes from Maninna close by, where she has had her apprenticeship.
Shoko Matsuoka makes both men’s shoes and women’s shoes. She builds her shoes around patched plastic lasts instead of wooden lasts. I have noticed this practice has become common among shoemakers. I guess plastic lasts have reached a level that make them just as fine as wooden lasts.
Her price of 1200 Euros for a pair of traditional oxford shoes, which includes trial shoes, is almost a bargain in Florence. Other shoemakers there are in the range of 1500 to 2500 Euros for a pair of classic shoes.
Shoko Matsuoka is located at Ramaglianti 6. She has no website yet.
Source: The Journal of Style
Can not be too good shoes as she wears Nike herself
I am quite certain that the craftsmen who produce Ferraris don’t actually arrive at Maranello in cars they produce themselves. And yet, I would still deem the cars they produce to be of very high quality.