Clinch is made by BRASS, one of the first high-end shoe repair shops to open in Japan, owned and operated by Minoru Matsuura. They quickly evolved from shoe repair; to re-lasting on their own custom lasts; to developing and producing new footwear in-house. Each piece is masterfully built in a Tokyo basement, by just a handful of expert craftspeople.

Made from an exceptionally high quality European horsebutt, each hide is hand-selected by Minoru himself for the right qualities of density and grain before cutting. This part is exceedingly important, as there can be tremendous variation of quality in the supply of horsebutt leather, with less than 50% of the stock being suitable for Clinch boots.

This horsebutt still contains the portion of membrane usually cut out to produce shell cordovan. There is a high density of fibers in this particular cut of hide, which leads to rolls in the area of the boot that flex, rather than the creases more common in cowhide. The leather is finished with a black overdye, leaving a rich, shiny finish on top of the warm brown tea core. This will gradually wear down and scuff off over time, creating a wholly unique and remarkably handsome patina.

There are 7 eyelets, 5 speedhooks, and a final set of eyelets to lock everything in place on these boots, a fitting amount for the lace-to-toe pattern. They sit on an avocado green reproduction O'Sullivan's cork outsole with a channeled leather sole and matching heel. The channeling is done by hand, and prevents premature wear on the stitching that holds the sole to the welt.

Constructed with a 270 degree flat welt, these can be re-soled or rebuilt by a trusted cobbler when the time comes. The uppers feature some of the most precise and exacting stitchwork of any footwear we've encountered, with multiple double rows of extremely high SPI (stitches per inch) sewing holding everything together. This is all done start to finish in-house, on vintage shoemaking equipment that Clinch maintain themselves.

For a really deep dive into the brand, check out this detailed article on Stitchdown.

• Black overdyed Horsebutt leather
• Hand-sewn welted construction
• 7 eyelets, 5 speedhooks, and one final set of eyelets
• Tonal custom brass hardware from Japan
• Nails from Japan
• Welting from Japan
• O'Sullivans Cork Sole and Heel
• CN-S last
• Resoleable and rebuildable
• Unstructured toebox
• Hand-made in Tokyo

If you have any questions about sizing, or are unsure of your size, please contact us before ordering.