Bringing Japan made quality to your feet
Yamato Corporation, a sandal manufacturer located in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture, has been manufacturing "sandals only" since its establishment in 1963. The company has been involved in the production of orthodox designed sandals, Japanese patterned sandals sold for European customers, and OEM for famous Japanese apparel stores.
A small group of craftsmen, mostly veterans with decades of experience, work at the manufacturing plant.
Satoshi Tanio, director of the company, says that one of the reasons for sticking to domestic manufacturing is the desire to preserve "Made in Japan".
he says.One of the Japanese concepts is "beauty of use," and I believe that beauty of use can only be achieved if the products are used in people's daily lives.
I believe that the products we make are the result of our efforts to eliminate as many unnecessary things as possible and keep the necessary elements, resulting in footwear that has beauty and comfort.
Although we use foreign leather as material, all the tanning and manufacturing processes are done in Japan, and we stick to handmade products.
Unpretentious, yet good quality
Reela was born after an exhibition held in 2016.Actually, the exhibition was for interior design. It seemed pointless to exhibit the sandals we had been making for outside use, so we decided to make indoor shoes.
However, even if we made ordinary slippers, we would not be able to compete with manufacturers who are skilled in slipper production in terms of cost. We wondered if we could make indoor footwear utilizing our technology and know-how, and we came up with the idea of "genuine leather room shoes," which were surprisingly rare in the world.
The prototype lounge sabots we made were well received at exhibitions. The concept of "Reela" is "Simple & Relax," which means to provide good products that are unpretentious, with the hope that people will enjoy spending relaxing time at home.
Reela was created with the aim of creating a comfortable and reassuring barefoot feeling, and when you try them on, you will be surprised at how softly they wrap around your toes and heel.
Today, Reela is adopted not only at home, but also in luxury hotels, high-class inns, and model rooms of luxury residences as a hospitality item for guests.
Reela was created with the aim of creating a comfortable and reassuring barefoot feeling, and when you try them on, you will be surprised at how softly they wrap around your toes and heel.
Pursuing Beauty and Comfort with Wooden Shape
Mr. Tanio says that the manufacturing process is hidden behind the invisible commitment and hard work of a long-established sandal manufacturer.We insert a wooden last into the finished mold, which is used for making ordinary shoes.
Reela cannot mass-produce sandals, and it takes about a week to complete a product, and we can only make a few dozen pairs in one production run.
One of the reasons is that we have a limited number of wooden patterns that we can use, and they have to sit for a few days after they are put into the mold. There may be no other sandal manufacturer that has as many wooden patterns as our company does.
They have been using wooden patterns, which are rare for sandals, since the company was founded.
However, the process of making a wooden form is not an easy one. Some of his peers have told him, "Even if you try to imitate it, you can't do it".Some people may think, "There is no need to go through all that trouble," because the shoes can be made into a certain shape without being molded into a wooden pattern, and no one will notice a clear difference. However, people who understand the difference can see it.
Some people may think, "There is no need to go through all that trouble," because the shoes can be made into a certain shape without being molded into a wooden pattern, and no one will notice a clear difference. However, people who understand the difference can see it.
The upper is made of natural leather (cowhide) made in Japan. While artificial leather and vinyl materials can be cut in layers, natural leather can only be cut one piece at a time. Therefore, Reela is made carefully and painstakingly one pair at a time.
