Trust The Process: Visvim
Since the brands inception in 2001, Visvim has built a name for itself based on core design principles that focus on high quality production; combining time-honoured crafting techniques and superior materials with trailblazing contemporary technologies to create a product which offers unmatched durability. With its routes placed firmly in both the backstreets of Harajuku and the American mid-West, Visvim’s founder, Hiroki Nakamura, has an unmatched affinity for vintage Americana. Visvim seeks to satisfy fashions constant anticipation for the ‘new’ by looking to all that has come before it and how this can be recontextualised for contemporary use.
Luckily, for those invested in knowing where their products originate from Nakamura is an open book when it comes to sharing the details of the unique production techniques that bring his vision to life – regularly uploading dissertations to the Visvim website which give insight into the production techniques used. Just read any interview with Nakamura and you soon realise that he has a tendency to redirect almost any question back onto the subject of timeless design and his fixation with creating long lasting products using diverse craft techniques. It’s no secret what is at stake for Visvim – quality above all else.
When starting to build a brand that focuses on crafting utilitarian product, naturally, Nakamura wanted to start off designing footwear, the one item of clothing that carries the weight of an outfit above all else. In 2001 Visvim released the famed FBT which offered a contemporary take on moccasins; a shoe which has been worn for hundreds of years across the varying climates inhabited by Native Americans and the Sámi people of Finland. The longevity with which this modest leather shoe served ancient tribespeople speaks to the craftsmanship of the construction methods, making it easy to understand why Nakamura sought to use this as a case study by which to base the design philosophy of Visvim. While spending time with the Sámi people in Finland to learn the process behind moccasins Nakamura was introduced to the insulating properties of reindeer suede – he later used a single piece of vegetable tanned elk leather to create the prototype for the first FBT, avoiding the use of glue and stitching the upper to a shock-absorbing EVA midsole, adapting the silhouette for city life. It’s this productive pairing of ancient techniques and modern day production technologies that sets apart Visvim’s pioneering production methods.
The tendency for modernising old silhouettes which have all but been forgotten by modern manufacturing for use in contemporary silhouettes has cemented Visvim in a league of their own when it comes to engineering footwear. “I want to create things that can be vintage in the future. That’s my goal: Future Vintage.” This phrase, found in a 2013 GQ interview with Hiroki, can be understood not just in relation to the vintage aesthetic Visvim have established in the footwear market, but also outlines the intended purpose that Nakamura has for his designs – for his products to live long into the future and realise the same longevity as the products by which they are inspired.
This desire to use traditional techniques to create products suited to a contemporary audience has continued to inform everything that Visvim introduces to the footwear market. The Foley-Folk, Visvim’s interpretation on a classic tennis silhouette, takes an already contemporary style of shoe and constructs it using a premium leather or suede stitched to a vulcanised rubber sole using the Goodyear welt. Nakamura has spoken extensively about the advantages of using this hand stitch technique, which has otherwise been reserved for traditional shoe making for over 150 years, in facilitating a longer lifespan for his trainers. Instead of stitching the upper with the outsole directly, a strip of leather is attached to the perimeter of the underside of the shoe, which in turn is stitched to the outsole, allowing the option to simply replace the rubber sole once it has worn out. Nakamura doesn’t want the consumer to buy Visvim season on season, his products are designed to be enjoyed over a long period of time. This encourages the wearer to commit to the ageing process of the premium leathers and vegetable tanned suedes, offering the prospect of developing a patina that’s unique to the shoe and the wearer, an extension of their body.
Visvim’s experimentation with traditional shoe manufacturing methods doesn’t stop with construction techniques but also comes through in their expansive material choices: Gore-Tex, kangaroo and elk leathers, and ballistic nylons being just a few that come to mind. A key ethos for Visvim is designing from the inside, meaning that utility is always at the heart of the product. The Hammond-Folk is a key example of how Nakamura has worked with, not against, traditional methods and materials to create a formal shoe which goes toe to toe with the breathability and contemporary shoe making technologies. The enhanced ageing process of the goatskin works by soaking the leather in water and leaving it untreated, this not only results in a striking cracked surface but produces a leather with more elasticity. Pairing this upper with an internal structure comprised of vegetable tanned leather and a cork footbed which is supported by a bamboo shank and finished using a Goodyear welt, creates a shoe which is breathable and can be worn indefinitely while remaining comfortable.
Inspiration for Visvim footwear stretches beyond the history of utilitarian clothing; the reference for the Christo sandal came from the artistic duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude; famed for their site-specific artwork which wraps large scale landmarks in fabric. Nakamura doesn’t just look to art for aesthetic inspiration only, he also draws conceptually from it. Identifying similarities between Christo’s wrapping installations and the act of wearing shoes – both as protection and a form of modesty. Nakamura set out to create a sandal that wrapped around almost the whole foot to ensure the same stability and structure that we are used to seeing in trainers. Staying true to the Visvim design ethos, the Christo’s have been designed with utilitarianism in mind. The technical Cordura nylon paired with the ultra-thin leather lining accommodates comfort and temperature control meaning it can be worn comfortably throughout the year, with or without socks. For SS20 the Christo was reimagined in the Shaman-Folk sandal to bring it more in line with the brands famed FBT, switching out the nylon for a suede upper complete with tassels and replacing the ultra-lightweight EVA sole with a more traditional wooden midsole. It’s impossible not to mention the very special 1 of 1 pair reimagined by Jun Takahashi for the UNDERCOVER SS03 Paris fashion week debut ‘SCAB’. Deconstructing the technical fabrics and opting instead to adorn it with the signature patchwork scab material and adding black studs to the fastening straps, firmly placing the UNDERCOVER stamp on a classic Visvim silhouette.
In his search for timeless design and unwavering quality, Nakamura has endured a long-standing relationship with Vibram. While the Italian sole manufacturer is commonplace in the luxury footwear market having been enlisted by the likes of Balenciaga and Our Legacy, it’s Visvim’s partnership with Vibram that introduced the rubber manufacturer as a mainstay in luxury footwear consciousness. This partnership has created a productive environment for Nakamura to experiment with a range of sole engineering techniques and toolings leading to enhanced innovation within Visvim’s footwear design. Following on from the brands inception and the introduction of the trailblazing FBT, Visvim has continued to push the envelope in terms of footwear design and use of old and new techniques.
The important partnership between the two brands has no doubt helped advance Visvim’s design language and led to more confident design choices. The Skagway and the aforementioned Hammond-Folk demonstrate Visvim’s own dedication to material development and the undeniable inspiration Nakamura draws from his relationship with Vibram. The Skagway makes use of a multi-layered super chunky vulcanised rubber outsole which makes the outsole the focal point of an otherwise very simple silhouette. Similarly, the Hammond-Folk further develops its purposefully aged aesthetic with a leather sole seemingly slashed multiple times with a razor. Not only is this an eye-catching design but in fact a vintage reference to the traditional method of taking a blade to leather soled shoes in an attempt at DIY grip. Visvim’s extensive sole innovation has undeniably stood the test of time, through their defining partnership with Vibram to the in-house designed alternatives, presenting an identity relatively unmatched.
Visvim evades the torturous and unrelenting trend cycle, opting instead to continue the technical development of that which has already stood the test of time. In 1964 Albert Goldman penned an article called Lindy’s Law which can be understood to suggest that the longer something has already endured, the longer it is likely to exist in the future. This phenomenon can be used to understand the design philosophy adopted by Hiroki Nakamura, whether it is continuing the 1000-year legacy of the Native American moccasin, the 150-year-old Goodyear welt, or his dedication to using natural materials, these methods have withstood the test of time and we can assume that they will live long into the future thanks to innovators and craftspeople like Nakamura and his team at Visvim. These are just a handful of examples that demonstrate Hiroki Nakamura’s dedication to pairing old footwear making techniques with state-of-the-art technology to deliver his vision of ‘Future Vintage’ – the past reimagined for the here and now.
