If it's not suede, it's hard to get the "non-native" look.
Do you have any feelings about "Euro Hiker"?
Fujii:I used to like it very much. So it was a good time when it was reissued in Japan last year.
When was this model first released in 1988, and when did Mr. Fujii wear them?
Fujii:I think it was around the year 2000. I wasn't wearing the original "brown and olive," and yellow nubuck and other special-order models were all the rage. One of my seniors at "Cyrus" who was working there at the time was wearing sand beige nubuck, and I really wanted a pair. I think it was a color distributed in England, but he had gotten them on a business trip. The color of the sole was different, but I remember the color of the upper was really cool.
Speaking of "Timberland," "6-inch boots" and "3-eyelet classics" are iconic, but was "Euro Hiker" also popular?
Fujii:They were very popular. When I was at Cyrus, there were many staff members wearing "Euro Hiker" shoes. Trekking shoes made like sneakers were popular in Europe, and Timberland adopted this model.
What kind of coordination did you use at that time?
Fujii:I think I wore a lot of denim. I used to wear thick denim like Levi's® 505® on my waist and trekking in it. But I couldn't get this color, so I decided to make it this way.
This time, you made a special order for a long suede.
Fujii:Nubuck, which is water-resistant, was by far the most common. This time, the fabric is oil-finished, but suede is basically water-sensitive, so I think it was difficult for the manufacturer to use this type of material. However, it's hard to get the "non-native" look without this long-furred suede, so that's why we were particular about it. The last time we did this, it was very well received, so Timberland gave us the OK right away.
I think the material is easy to show dirt, but it looks rather cool when it is dirty.
Fujii:That's one of my aims. I think it would be cooler if you don't worry about it so much and just wear them as much as you like.
Are there any points other than the materials that you focused on?
Fujii:The color gradation of the sole. All three layers are beige, but in different tones.
Fujii:Because these shoes are made using an old-fashioned manufacturing method, it is necessary to make all three parts color-matched to each other. Nowadays, it would be easier to put the soles together and make a unit, but we did not do that.
I heard that you went to a lot of trouble to make it for this event.
Fujii:Not only the soles, but also other parts are made in colors not found in the inline line, so they were all made especially for this occasion.
Considering that, it is quite elaborate. And yet, the price seems very reasonable.
Fujii:I think that is really the greatness of "Timberland. These days, the idea that leather shoes are expensive and sneakers are cheap is no longer valid. Prices have been rising, and yet there are brands that are still making products at prices that are much the same as they were in the past. That is why we need to think about why they are expensive and why they are cheap.
The color of the stitching is another point that I was particular about.
If you look closely, you can see the use of black and white stitching.
Fujii:The black color makes them look a little tighter. Also, there are beige boots in military items, but I wanted to bring a different atmosphere to the boots.
