The creation of handmade luxurious bespoke shoes at Ichigo-Ichie Shoemaker
At Ichigo Ichie Shoemaker, 100% of your orders are handcrafted by skilled artisans using the world’s top premium ingredients.
We say no to the use of machines and mass production because we always aim for difference, originality and meticulous craftsmanship – something machines can never do. We attribute the entire manual process to a single artisan, from consulting the client to measuring the exact foot size, choosing the leather, shoe model, shape and construction, cutting, sewing, fine-tuning, finishing and packaging.
Each product is perfected by ichigo_ichie’s longtime artisans. We carry our prestige and honor on each product named Ichigo Ichie.
Ichigo Ichie – “Every happy occasion happening in every moment is precious. Since it is unique and will never return”
The profound meaning of the idiom “Ichigo Ichie” (一期一会 – Every moment has only one meeting) seems to have made up the core of all gestures and actions. Besides, It can create quality and meaningful moments in Japanese people’s lives.
Flowers fade and bloom again and again. Things still revolve. People always change. Therefore, every minute when we meet up is not the same. So, if the moment is “the only one”, why don’t we cherish every moment?
Since time immemorial, the master Sen no Rikyuu always reminded his students of the meaning of “Ichigo Ichie” when teaching about the meaning of drinking tea. To him, each Chakai (tea festival) is unique, every ritual in the tea ceremony from paving the way in the early morning to welcoming guests to the day with blooming flowers. Everything is done with full sincere affection, meticulousness and dedication.
That is also the mind that we – Ichigo Ichie brand put all into our high-end shoe products. For all employees of Ichigo Ichie, every moment of meeting is unique. Therefore, it should be fully cherished. It can be the moment to meet customers, or it can be when ichigo_ichie’s customers enjoy their lives with their relatives, lovers, colleagues, and partners.
With the mindset that handmade clothing is a legacy, each handmade product is a work of art handed down for thousands of years. Additionally, each product of Ichigo Ichie can show its exquisite beauty. Every detail is processed by the hands and brains of skilled artisans, through hundreds of meticulous and careful steps. With unique Ichigo Ichie shoes, every step is like a journey of a thousand miles, every meeting is remembered because each silhouette, story, and experience is unequaled and precious. For that reason, each product is unique and dedicated.
In the end, Ichigo Ichie is not only a pair of shoes with full of mind, creative expression, but also a quintessential and aesthetic work of art among thousands of similar products from appearance, role model for the soul and spirit. We believe that Ichigo Ichie’s shoes are a different, special and unique work. Moreover, it is committed to a lifetime warranty on the product named Ichigo Ichie, even to the next generation.
Ichigo Ichie
…Because every moment is the only one.
What Is Ichigo Ichie? 10 Rules Of The Japanese Way To Happiness
Ichigo ichie can be translated as, “Once, a meeting” and also as “In this moment, an opportunity.” What this means to tell us is that each meeting, everything we experience, is a unique treasure that will never be repeated in the same way again. So if we let it slip away without enjoying it, the moment will be lost forever.
Becoming aware of ichigo ichie helps us take our foot off the gas and remember that each morning we spend in the world, every moment we spend with our children and with our loved ones is infinitely valuable and deserves our full attention.
The cultivation and practice of ichigo ichie will allow you to lead a happier, more fulfilled life, without feeling weighed down by the past or anxious about the future. You’ll learn to live fully in the present, acknowledging and appreciating the gift of every moment.
Here are the 10 principles that sum up this Japanese philosophy:
- Don’t postpone special moments. Each opportunity presents itself only once. If you don’t embrace it, it’s lost forever. Life is a question of now or never.
- Live as if this were going to happen only once in your life. That’s why it’s inspiring to greet and say goodbye to our loved ones with “Ichigo ichie,” to make us aware of the unique and once-in-a-lifetime nature of each meeting.
- Dwell in the present. Journeys into the past and the future are often painful and nearly always useless. You can’t change what happened. You can’t know what will happen. But here in this moment, all the possibilities in the world are alive.
- Do something you’ve never done before. As Einstein said, you can’t do the same thing over and over and expect different results. Another way of achieving an unforgettable moment is by giving yourself over and allowing something new to blossom inside you.
- Practice seated meditation. You can sit on a meditation cushion or just sit down and observe the miracle of life. The simple fact of stepping away from the daily whirlwind of hurry and obligations will open the doors to well-being.
- Apply mindfulness to your five senses. Train yourself in the art of listening, watching, touching, tasting, and smelling to give each moment the richness of human perception. This will also allow you to be more alert to others and increase your level of empathy and influence.
- Notice coincidences. Being aware of coincidences helps us get better at reading signs sent by the universe. A journal in which we keep notes of these moments of daily magic will increase our ability to follow the invisible threads of reality.
- Make every gathering a party. Don’t wait for the right circumstances—a vacation, a trip, a birthday—to experience extraordinary things. With the right frame of mind, every day can be a celebration.
- If you don’t like what there is, make something different. Human beings are transformative by nature and have the power to reinvent themselves as many times as it takes. If your reality is too dull and predictable to live with ichigo ichie, you have the opportunity to create another.
- Be a hunter of special moments. As with any activity, the more you practice, the better and more abundant the results will be.
Adapted from The Book of Ichigo Ichie, published by Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2019 by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles.