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 to their custom lasts; to building incredible footwear around their custom lasts. 

These lasts are where the magic is. Most modern lasts are optimized for mass-production. Wider, straighter, easier to pump through a production line, and easier to fit every single person into. Clinch's lasts start narrow, with a tight fit and a lot of contours to them, much like the lasts of the early 20th century. We chose their CN Wide Last, which is more suited to western feet than their standard last.

The shape of the last dictates the careful construction of the boot. The insole is soaked, then molded to the bottom of the last. From there, the boot is build around that insole. Every step of the hand-sewn welting process is done by hand, except for sewing on the outsoles, a task best done by machine.

The leather on these boots is a vegetable-tanned Latigo from Wickett & Craig (check out the process here). This process is time-intensive, and takes far longer than a chrome-tan, but the results are worth the weight. The hides are brought to Japan for hand-dying and finishing. The Highliner starts as dark-green, almost teal color; and wears down to a green finish from this hand-dying process.

There are 6 eyelets, 6 speedhooks, and a final pair of eyelets to lock everything in place on these boots. They sit on a reproduction O'Sullivan heel with a channeled leather sole. The channeling is done by hand, and prevents premature wear on the stitching that holds the sole to the welt.

The rest of the materials are of equally high quality. Brass hardware, welts, and nails all come from Japan; the soling leathers come from the best tanneries in the world; and the heels are custom-made just for Clinch.

The combination of carefully selected hides, truly hand-built construction, and unique lasts creates a boot that is as close to vintage as possible but with all the advantages of modern materials. 

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

• Wickett & Craig vegetable-tanned Latigo leather
• Hand-dyed in Tokyo
• Hand-sewn welted construction
• 12 1/4" shaft height
• 1 1/8" heel height
• 6 eyelets, 6 speedhooks, and one final set of eyelets
• Custom brass hardware from Japan
• Nails from Japan
• Welting from Japan
• O'Sullivan's reproduction heels
• Leather soles
• CN Wide 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.

• Narrow and low volume feet:
• 0.5 size smaller than Brannock
• Same size as Brannock (you may need to use insoles, thick socks, or both) for a more relaxed fit

• D-Width and average volume feet:
• 0.5 size smaller than Brannock for a snug fit
• Same size as Brannock (you may need to use insoles, thick socks, or both) for a more relaxed fit

• E & EE-Width and high volume feet:
• Same size as Brannock for a snug fit.
• 0.5 size larger than Brannock (you may need to use insoles, thick socks, or both) for a more relaxed fit