It’s Back (Again!)
Welcome to my coverage of the 2022 Edition of the Shoegazing Stockholm Trunk Show.
The show returns to Stockholm for the first time since 2019 after multiple Covid postponements.
Let me walk you through my own experience at the event.
What Is The Shoegazing Trunk Show?
The Shoegazing Trunk Show is an important event in the men’s dress shoe world.
Organized by Jesper Ingevaldsson of the eponymous Shoegazing Blog, it is probably the largest collective exhibition of fine shoes in the world!
It used to be a bi-annual event with a major show in London in Spring and the original Stockholm version in Fall.
Quite recently the newest addition has been a show in Amsterdam which will take place again in October 2022.
I flew to Stockholm from Italy to be a part of this again and bring you my thoughts.
Apologies if most images are not as sharp or dark, but the lighting made it really difficult.
Previous Events
You can read all the previous Shoegazing Trunk Shows I attended here:
The 3 year gap is of course due to everyone’s “favorite” new virus.
Shoegazing Stockholm Exhibitors 2022
While the Shoegazing London Super Trunk Show focuses on new and established brands alike, the Stockholm version caters more to smaller, local brands and newcomers.
Not that past exhibitors such as Gaziano & Girling or Acme Shoemaker are new or unknown of course!
Many brands are recurring of course and it’s always good to see familiar faces!
I will briefly go through all the brands and people that I met during the show.
Acme Shoemaker
One of my favorite new shoemaking brands in terms of quality is Acme Shoemaker.
A Chinese very high end brand making genuinely handmade shoes the traditional way.
I actually have a very in-depth interesting review in the blog for you (Click Here).
Phenomenal shoes and very high finishing and attention to detail.
Their shoes begin over the $1500 mark and go up from there.
Unfortunately once more they couldn’t attend in person so I had a good chat with their representative Robert.
The booth had a core selection of cool shoes including a smashing shark split-toe derby.
If you have the budget they should most definitely be in your radar.
Bridlen Shoemaker
I had the pleasure of meeting Bridlen Shoemaker in the London Trunk Show this year.
A relatively new project in the welted shoe industry but with many years of experience.
Bridlen Shoemaker makes entry level value shoes in India and have a multitude of price levels and ranges.
Their blake line starts at an unbelievable $90-100 while their main range $265 and high end at $320.
As you can see in my Review Article they offer a decent product with room for improvement.
Bridlen has a very traditional English approach to their shoes and lasts so it might cater to your taste.
Their shoes are also a bit more old-school you could say and don’t use gemming.
I want to add that the owner and the representatives are very enthusiastic, friendly and wonderful to talk to.
Catella Shoemaker
In the Shoegazing Stockholm Trunk Show 2022 I had the pleasure to formally meet Daniel Wegan.
The World Shoemaking Champion of 2018 with vast experience in Gaziano & Girling’s Bespoke department.
In the last few years he opened his own brand, Catella Shoemaker.
Rumor had it that it was the name of his cat (or so I heard) but it is actually his dog!
We chatted about shoemaking and the industry and he shared his experience and even gave me some tips.
He told me that after ~600 Bespoke pairs he only really started to feel more comfortable after 300.
His tip about putting some tape on my sole stitching awl to ensure the same depth each time was priceless.
Daniel is one of the best bespoke makers in the world and can pretty much make anything you want.
Absolutely top quality shoes in appearance, construction, finesse and execution.
CNES Shoemaker
CNES Shoemaker is becoming a staple and a regular visitor of the Shoegazing Trunk Shows.
First time we met was in 2018 I think and I even have a Review of a pair of wholecuts on the blog.
They have a wide array of RTW, MTO and even a range of hand-welted shoes.
A really large player of shoemaking in Vietnam with international ambitions.
Yearn Shoemaker/Arterton London
Chinese based Yearn Shoemaker make handmade shoes for about $400-500.
Very good shoes for the price if you are looking for handmade elements.
I reviewed them in the beginning of 2022 (Article Here) and came back with a mix of praise and criticism.
The clicking on some parts of the shoe left a bit to be desired for example.
The overall quality was good however while my biggest gripe was the fit.
Unfortunately, during the second wear the fit changed completely and was very tight on my instep and my ball.
My findings were that the fit was rather narrow although they claimed to now provide more space in new updates.
Their partner Arterton London was also there and it was good to meet friends again.
Arterton is involved in fine tailoring and selling excellent high quality Nakata hangers.
They even had a Saville Row inspired expensive hanger and recently partnered up with Paul Brunngård (more later).
Skolyx/Yanko/TLB Mallorca
An omnipresent collection of brands is Skolyx and TLB Mallorca.
Skolyx is a Swedish online shoe store with their own range but also carry Spanish Yanko and TLB Mallorca.
Decent entry level shoes for those looking for the basics.
TLB on the other hand makes some exceptional quality shoes with their Artista Range.
I actually reviewed them back in the day too!
It is no secret that Jesper of Shoegazing works for Skolyx and he is very transparent about it.
All these 3 brands are important parts of the Shoegazing Trunk Show.
Covering the $200, $300 and $450 brackets there is something for everyone.
You can also get accessories and shoe care here making it a valuable shoe store.
Paul Brunngård
One of the main partners of the Shoegazing Stockholm Trunk Show is Paul Brunngård.
Sweden’s largest shoe care brand with their own line of shoe care products.
I found their Yak Brush exceptionally soft and high quality and I also had the chance to test their shoe products.
We sat down for an hour with other shoe lovers to have a workshop in spit shinning.
It was a great experience and I actually learned a lot.
In the event there was also a big chair where you could sit and receive a proper shine.
He did a great job and it seemed to be as much of a pleasure for him as for me.
Granqvist Sweden
One of my favorite accessories stores is Granqvist Sweden.
This little store in Stockholm offers tons of ties, bow ties, pocket squares and everything you need to look like a refined gentleman.
Henrik (the owner) is very passionate about his work and it shows.
Prices are on the higher side but the quality is exceptional.
Their silk ties in particular are so soft and light that it feels like I am not wearing any.
You can read my older review (Article Here) and spot me wearing almost exclusively their pocket squares in my public appearances.
Blugiallo
Blugiallo is a Swedish Made To Measure suit company producing high quality suits, coats and knitwear.
The founders have a proper origin story that actually started 1 hour away from were I live, in Bologna.
You can either visit them in their showroom, book an online consultation or take your own measurements.
The last one involves using an app of some sort if I understood correctly and they claim is very accurate.
Starting at around $800 for a suit, it is not a bad price and I hope to write a review one day.
Second Hand Market
I should also mention that there was a second hand shoe market where people can sell their used shoes.
Unfortunately I brought with me 8 pairs of shoes and sold nothing.
People understandably look for deals but I was not going to sell almost unworn shoes for nothing.
There was a variety of brands and sizes but unfortunately I didn’t spend too much time there.
A reminder if you are around next time that you can possible get some good shoes.
Loake & Shoe Shining
There’s also an annual shoe shining competition as always.
At 14:00 the three finalists went on stage and tried to polish a pair of Loake to the best of their abilities in just 20 minutes.
Unfortunately I had some business to attend to so I missed it but I checked the results.
Tobias Bjöörn was the winner of the contest taking a prize of 3000 SEK ($265) and a pair of Loake Shoes.
World Shoemaking Winners Display
The three best shoes from the world shoemaking competition of 2022 were also in display.
All three were marvelous specimens from Japanese Shoemakers (quelle surprise).
One had an outrageous heel while the winner had a nearly invisible, unbelievable sole stitch.
If one day I can produce something half as good I will be thrilled!
Overall Event
Me and my friend spent most of the time speaking to people we knew or making new friends.
We also had some business to attend to and were not there for the “busy hours” of the trunk show.
This led to a feeling of a less crowded attendance but since about 700-900 people usually come it seems like a normal spread during a whole day.
Most importantly, you will be in a safe environment where you can finally talk about this “weird” passion we all share about shoes!
If you have even the most remote interest about shoes and style, I urge you to visit a Shoegazing Trunk Show in London, Stockholm or Amsterdam at least once!
Until then, I look forward to seeing you all in the next event!
Thank you for reading,
Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy
Kostas – thanks for the sweet update.
Can we expect a bit of a rundown on Japanese shoemakers in the future? Obviously I remain a huge fan of the European brands you feature, but with energy prices rising one wonders how much longer these will be affordable for international customers. On top of that, the quality of Japanese pieces remains undisputed but the language barrier is an issue as the vast majority of Japanese brands focus on the domestic market.
As you say the price and language barrier is a difficult point for many people.
The problem is that this blog is a hobby and quite often relies on collaborations to just showcase the shoes.
I haven’t had any contact with any of those brands. Corno Blu, Miyagi Kogyo, all the expensive ones etc.
Maybe in the future or in a trip to Japan.
Best,
Kostas