"Beams" (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) is currently selling "Bocco Sabo," a product made in collaboration with Aomori and Kuroishi "Bocco shoes," made of natural raw rubber.

"Bocco shoes" are 100% natural rubber boots made by the well-established shoe store "K Bocco" (Yokomachi, Kuroishi, TEL 0172-52-2181 ). It was used by snow farmers and local hunters for snow, but it disappeared once in the 1980s when cheap rubber shoes were distributed. According to Tsutomu Kudo, the store owner, the Bocco shoes were reprinted in 2005. It took 10 years to reproduce.

"There was no information on the net, and I could hardly find the actual thing. It was difficult to even get natural rubber, by listening to the pattern paper from the craftsman at the time, and contacting the trader who had transactions, I was able to reprint it little by little," says Kudo.

Collaboration with Beams label "Beams Japan" goes back to 2012. Shuji Suzuki, the director of Beams Japan, said that he first learned about Bocco shoes at the exhibition "Temahima " held in Roppongi, Tokyo. I felt the wisdom and warmth of people in the Bocco shoes used in the harsh environment.”

“We had a consultation about the handling last spring, and we received your consent,” says Suzuki. Mr. Kudo said, “Actually, I could not get natural rubber, so I had stopped ordering for about four years. I was happy with the proposal that I started making for people who were waiting for Bocco shoes, restarting production from last year”. look back.

In late December of last year, we released the original "K-Bocco x BEAMS JAPAN" with the design of the shoe instep made into a motif of Mt. Immediately after the sale, he was asked if he could make a slip-on type "Bocco Sabo". “It was a new challenge to make shoes that I had never made. It started with a pattern and it was a series of trials and errors,” says Mr. Kudo.

All manufacturing is handmade, and Mr. Kudo does it alone. Since the heat of the stove is used to soften the rubber, the workplace becomes hot in summer. The rubber becomes harder in the winter due to the cold, which is different from the summer. Mr. Kudo says, "No glue is used, it is joined by melting raw rubber. Shoes made only from natural rubber without lining have excellent heat retention and durability."

Suzuki says, "Bocco Sabo is a new shape that can be used everyday for gardening and outdoor wear. I would like to sell it as a "brand of Aomori prefecture"".

The price is 26,400 yen. It will be sold at BEAMS Online Shop, BEAMS JAPAN Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Kyoto stores.