NEGRONI
BRAND STORY
BRAND PHILOSOPHY
NEGRONI is a lifestyle brand that focuses on driving shoes and leather goods. Since the brand was launched in 2000, we have created innovative driving shoes that have impressed even the most well-known professional drivers, journalists and leading vehicle developers.
The shoes have a finely-tuned mechanism that makes car handling feel more like a physical sensation, and a level of comfort that makes you forget you're wearing shoes. The unique driving philosophy that has been cultivated over many years, and the ‘Made in Japan’ technical capabilities that the historic NEGRONI factory continues to protect, are something that no other company can match.
The sophisticated and emotional design that evokes a luxurious lifestyle continues to attract not only people in Japan, but also celebrities around the world who love motor sports. The source of our inspiration is not limited to the proportions of modern motor design, but also extends to the private styles of racers from years gone by, well-worn racing parts, and the metal fittings and fabrics of vintage cars. Our deep knowledge of history and materials is expressed in the details of our products, and invites you into a world of vibrant and exciting driver's style.
LEATHER &
MATERIALS
Our deep passion for materials is evident in the details of our products. The many colour variations that adorn the uppers are made from carefully selected leathers from high-end tanneries in Italy, England, France and other countries, as well as leathers from Japan, which are all developed in collaboration with long-established tanneries that represent Japan, using NEGRONI's own original recipes. The recipes are passed down from generation to generation, and quality is managed, with the hides being carefully finished to the most suitable specifications for the time, right down to the country of origin, dyeing and tanning methods.
It is not just the leather that is worth mentioning. The use of industrial materials that are not available in the world of shoes, such as carbon fibre and metal parts that strongly evoke the inspiration of motor sports, high-quality seat leather, or coated accessories, can be said to be a unique material expression that is truly NEGRONI.
Enjoying the rich variety of textures and comfort that changes with the model and materials is also an essential element of enjoying our shoes. Let's learn about the stories of the production areas and creators that span the globe, and set out on a journey into the culture that lies behind the products.
QUALITY OF
PERFECTION
‘Driving shoes should exist to comfortably enjoy the lifestyle that goes with automobiles.’
The founder, who had a lifelong love of motor sports, believed that NEGRONI driving shoes should be products that have an ‘excellent sense of balance’ that allows them to blend in with everyday life while maintaining comfort while driving in any environment. Based on this idea, the technical capabilities of the NEGRONI factory, which have been cultivated over more than 50 years of shoe manufacturing history since the company was founded, continue to evolve in an environment that is specialised in the production of unique driving shoes.
The driving shoe theory devised by the founder takes more than twice as long as the work involved in the general cemented construction method, and everything from cutting, sewing and pressing is carried out carefully, one pair at a time, under NEGRONI specifications. And even the test drives carried out before the product is launched are not just carried out by designers, but also by professional drivers and people involved in automotive technology. The various innovative ideas that arise during this process sometimes lead to major developments in the factory's technical processes. The design philosophy of the first generation is still being upheld by the hands of outstanding craftsmen, and continues to innovate across generations.
THE HISTORY OF
NEGRONI
The history of NEGRONI begins with MARUMITSU SEIKA(Shoe maker), which was established in 1969 by the first generation, Kokichi Miyabe. About 20 years after the end of World War II, the shoe industry was gradually beginning to take root in Tokyo, and he founded a small shoe factory with his son, the young second generation, Shuichi Miyabe.
With Kokichi, who had studied accounting with the former Japanese army and Hitachi, and Shuichi, who had studied design and mechanical engineering, Marumitsu introduced a highly innovative process to the shoe business from the very beginning, and achieved great success.
As the 1990s drew to a close, Shuichi, who had loved motor sports since he was young, began to work on his secret plan to brand driving shoes in the OEM shoe business.
With the concept of ‘combining fashion and function’, he envisaged a structure that would be more versatile in terms of lifestyle than the conventional driving shoes that were strongly specialised, and spent two years designing the wooden moulds and paper patterns.
After the brand was established in 2000, NEGRONI quickly spread among car enthusiasts in Japan thanks to its comfortable fit and modern design, which overturned the conventional wisdom of driving shoes. The driving shoes he designed, IDEA, are still used by many test drivers and various Japanese automotive development organisations, and are spoken of as the origin of Japanese driving shoes.
Incidentally, it is said that the name of the cocktail he always liked to drink in a corner of the hotel bar in 1999, when Shuichi was immersed in the design concept of cars and shoes, became the name of the brand.
In 2014, after the untimely death of Shuichi at the age of 59, his son Shuhei Miyabe, who had studied graphic design and editorial design, took over the company and established a new driving shoe factory, ’NEGRONI FACTORY TOKYO’, in October of the same year.
In addition to designing the concept for the shoe moulds and paper patterns, he also handles advertising and web design himself, and his development methods, which place the highest priority on achieving both functionality and comfort, are highly regarded by car developers and enthusiasts.
He is also deeply knowledgeable about motor sports culture, and is currently working energetically both in Japan and overseas, collaborating with many car companies and international circuits. He was the only exhibitor from Asia to be selected to participate in the Goodwood Revival, a classic car race festival in the UK. He also continues to be involved in a wide range of activities, such as participating as a guest every year in a rally event hosted by the Belgian car programme FLEET TV.
And his insistence on the finest materials and colours, and his spirit of enquiry, have given Negroni a high-quality, luxurious worldview. If he comes across a material that interests him, he will go and visit the production site, whether in Japan or overseas, and sometimes he will even go so far as to create his own materials, referring to the manufacturing methods and raw materials. While adhering to the solid techniques and philosophy of the brand's founder that have been cultivated in the shoe industry since 1969, Negroni continues to innovate.
Illustrator: Dean Aizawa
Editor: Shota Kato (Over the Mountain)
Photographer: Nozomu Toyoshima / Shuhei Miyabe (NEGRONI)