Walking that extra mile

Que キュー

que

前陣子跟來自愛知縣的陶藝家大澤哲哉先生做訪問,初次碰面我目光卻離不開他腳上一雙鞋子,他雙腿看起來很修長,聊得高興時會手舞足蹈,感覺情緒都展現在腳上呢,讓我後來印象最深的居然是他雙腿了。好奇問那是什麼鞋子,他二話不說脫下右腳給我看,說是在市集上買的。好美,好簡單的一雙,我忍住想把腳套進去的衝動,「對啊而且還很輕很舒適!」大澤笑笑的說。看著他穿久了而養得正熟的柔軟度,與表面像抹了牛油的吐司泛起淡淡油脂,皮革一片軟軟包著腳掌,那模樣很溫潤啊。

它產自埼玉縣一家製鞋工廠「コンパニオン製靴株式会社」,幾年前成立了自家品牌que(キュー)。工廠負責很多知名品牌的鞋子製作,que繼續以其穩扎技術製作出體貼腳掌的形態,定價卻非常親和。他們沒有實體商店,也不接網上訂單,只在市集與限定展會中販售,客人穿了覺得好便再回來。即使在習慣網上購物的時代,仍保持著這種販售模式,靠著口碑經營,每次展會人龍都長長的。

在市集上排隊拿到號碼牌,客人便可按著時間回來,入內前脫去鞋子,放進他們派發的軟袋子,便可輕鬆試穿。他們完備多樣的皮革種類與色調,選好鞋碼,店員也會熟練地幫客人調整鞋墊讓它成為你腳掌的剛好,很多常客都是穿著舊的que鞋子來買新的。

舒適的鞋子其實會讓人喜歡走路,隨意地走才看到不一樣的風景,所以鞋子要穿好的,路很遠那腳力也要跟上。

Just recently, I conducted an interview with the Aichi-Prefecture-based ceramic master called Tetsuya Ozawa. Meeting him for the first time, I cannot help but be distracted by the pair of shoes he was wearing. Mr. Ozawa has rather long legs. When he talks about something he was excited about, he would naturally swing his arms and legs in the air. So one can pretty much tell how happy he is just by looking at his legs. With my attention drawn to his feet, I got curious and asked what kind of shoes he was wearing. He then, without a second thought, took off his right one and showed it to me, saying he got it from the market. Such a beautiful yet simple pair of shoes it was. I even had the impulse to stuff my foot into it to try! “I know, right?”, Ozawa said with a grin, “They also feel light and very comfy!” The leather shoes do wear the story of their age. They look ripe and tender, like that mellow spread of butter you put on your toast. It is satisfying to see how the leather can be so delicately wrapping someone’s feet.

The pair of shoes is a product from a shoes manufacturing factory called Companion from the Saitama prefecture. A couple of years ago, they launched a brand called Que (キュー). The factory is the supplier for many well-known shoe brands. Que simply applied the same adherence to quality to produce shoes that stress on how well they can fit your feet shape. Priced very reasonably, Que shoes cannot be found in any shops or available for online order. Customers can only find them in markets or trade shows. In this age of overwhelming online shopping, how Que is running its business is clearly one of a kind. In fact, seeing how long the queue is every time there is a tradeshow, it is obvious how word of mouth comes into play to attract loyal customers.

Simply line up and get a numbered ticket at one of their markets, customers could then return at the assigned time. Take off your own shoes and put them into the bag provided, then you are ready to try on the new ones! Que has a wide selection of leather types and colors. Pick your size and the staff will skillfully adjust the insoles to ensure your feet would fit best. Apparently many customers are coming back with their old Que shoes to get the new ones.

A comfortable pair of shoes can make you enjoy walking more, so you can walk that extra mile to explore the undiscovered scenery. Shoes’ quality does matter when you have a long road ahead of you.

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