An olive tree donated to Apulian agricultural companies hit by Xylella for every purchased pair of “Ginosa” shoes, the ones dedicated to these extraordinary trees: this is the commitment made by Japanese designer Yuko Matsuzaki, founder, together with her colleague Masaharu Ikeda, of the shoe brand Seishou. This way, the brand wants to give a concrete support to Apulian agriculture, which has been enduring the heavy consequences, which have now lasted ten years, of the diffusion of this dangerous bacterium.
However, the bridge for this initiative will not be just any model: “Ginosa” is indeed the name of the black velvet shoes that have precisely a centuries-old olive tree embroidered on the upper.
This shoe was created a few months ago, already as a homage to these trees that are typical of Apulia: “The idea to dedicate a piece to these plants was born after a visit to the Apulian countryside, during which I discovered the terrible disease that destroyed the olive oil sector of the region – illustrates Matsuzaki -. In collaboration with Apulian stylist Angelo Inglese, we decided to design this shoe, which was presented for the first time in Florence this June at Pitti Immagine Uomo 2023. I am pleased to point out that it attracted interest and enjoyed a certain success”.
The stylist, who lives and works in Milan, has then designed and manufactured, together with the craftsmen from the Salento region (Apulia, Italy) who make these pieces, the shoe that will be sold with the aim to increase the Apulian olive heritage: “My objective is to contribute to the reforestation of the region and to support olive trees farming and oil production. This way, I hope to lend a helping hand to Apulia in a fight against a disease that for more than a decade has been threatening one of its top excellences, by helping the local agricultural sector and its many companies”, explains the designer.
Ultimately, a sort of exchange and mutual support between entrepreneurs: this shoe combines the international design characterizing Seishou and the typicality of the Apulian territory. But all the pieces by the brand are featured by great attention to detail, a meticulous artisan construction and the use of quality materials. Seishou – a word composed by two Japanese ideograms which create the concept of “singing in unison” when combined – was established in Italy in 2020 and sees the creation and manufacturing of its shoe line in artisanal shoe factories in the Salento area, combining Japanese design, which has comfort, simplicity and functionality as its aim, with the refinement and professionalism of Made in Italy, which has its roots precisely in Apulia. And it all holds together perfectly.