Mikey Lust Anatomy
This time, we will explain the last, which is the core of shoe brand fitting. Please read this if you are considering purchasing blueover or want to know more about the last part of blueover.
What is last?
LAST is something like a mold that is used to wrap and shape the upper when making shoes. In the past, they were made of wood, but now they are mostly made of resin or aluminum. If you are a specialized shoe manufacturer, you will create an original last for your brand, but if you are making shoes on an OEM basis, you may be reusing the last that the factory owns. By the way, the last of blueover is an original last created with a craftsman.
Now, the last is a very important part of shoes. If the lasts don't fit, no matter how good the shoes look, they will hurt and you won't be able to walk in them. Foot shapes vary from person to person, and of course Westerners and Japanese people have different foot shapes, and it is natural for Japanese people to have a variety of foot shapes as well. The shape of the last of a brand is determined by the type of person it wants to wear. It is an important presence that can be said to be the backbone of the brand.
blueover designed the last (mikey last) for Japanese feet .
Mikey Last is used by many models at Blueover, so if you read this, you will be able to understand about the fitting of Blueover shoes. We hope that you will find this useful as a reference for your future shoe purchases.
[model used by mikey last]
mikey mikey
okappa
kopori
SHV3
Everyone's Mikey *marco/pholus is a different last one.
So, I would like to take a look at the ideas behind each of blueover's shoes, which can be seen from the last.
① Leg length
Foot length refers to the length of the foot from the heel to the toes.
However, I would like to add a little bit.
Generally, many people think that foot length means shoe size, but this way of thinking can lead to mistakes. Shoes may have a gap in the toe called a ``disposable''. In leather shoes, it is sometimes used for its appearance, such as the silhouette, but from a functional perspective, it is also used to make it easier to move your toes when you wear them, making it easier to hold your feet and making you feel less tired. For example, even if a shoe size says 27.5cm, if you measure the last foot length, it will be 280mm or 285mm. Each company has a different way of thinking about this figure, so it is difficult to say anything definitive.
blueover's mikey last incorporates throwaway dimensions. A gap of approximately 13 mm is provided for the shoe size . In other words, in the case of <26.5cm size> shoes, the foot length is 278mm. This is the optimal value for customers who usually wear 26.5cm or 27.0cm. (When measuring samples from other companies, the discarded size was generally 5 to 10 mm.)
② Foot circumference (width)
Width. Width is the length (foot circumference) measured from the base of the big toe to the base of the little finger, expressed as a value from A to G. Basically, A is thinner and G is thicker. The general width is D or E ( see this page for details). mikey last is <width E>.
Generally speaking, the shape of Japanese feet is called ``wide and high insteps.'' From what we have seen of our customers' feet so far, they tend to be wide, but we cannot say that their insteps are high, and we think they are of a normal height. From there, the width of the last of blueover is designed in the range of D to E.
I think many people use this width (foot circumference) to determine how tight or loose the shoes will be, but there are some things that cannot be fully understood with this number alone. mikey last is width E, but it may actually feel a little tight. The reason is that it is linked to the next "foot width".
③Foot width (bottom gauge)
As I mentioned earlier, after actually looking at customers' feet, I can't say that Japanese people have high insteps, and I think their feet are wide.
In fact, this foot width design is a feature of Mikey Last .
Foot width refers to the straight line width between the protruding part at the base of the big toe and the protruding part at the base of the little finger. I often hear that NIKE shoes are said to be thin, and ASICS shoes are said to be easy to wear, but I don't think people actually check the bottom gauge to find out. So this time, in order to compare the foot width of our shoes with those of other companies, we disassembled sneakers and extracted the bottom gauge (we disassembled a lot, but it would be too complicated to post them all, so we'll list a few of them). I picked it). By doing so, I began to see differences that I had not seen before.
*Bottom gauge: The silhouette visible when looking at the last from the back. You can see the shape of your toes, foot width, and heel line. It cannot be seen from the finished shoe.
Comparison with the same leg length. You can see that Mikey Last's forefoot (outer foot - base of little finger - toes - ball of the foot) draws a relaxed line.
And the fact that the instep is a little tight, as mentioned in the width, is due to this wide width. The width is determined by the foot circumference, so a shoe with a narrow foot and a high instep will have the same width as a shoe with a wide foot and a low instep. In other words, the instep of Mikey Last will feel tighter than a typical width E shoe. However, the shape of the foot changes depending on external pressure, so you might think that if the foot circumference is the same, the comfort will be the same, but we want the foot to be worn in its natural state, so We aim for a natural shape that suits Japanese people.
④Toes of feet (top line)
The shape of the toes is round toe, matching the Egyptian shape that is said to be common among Japanese people. This line has a relatively similar shape to other sneakers. It's pulled to the width of the foot, and although it's gentle, I think it can be said to be a general toe shape.
Let's check the last specifications here.
[mikey last details]
For shoe size 26.5cm
Foot circumference (width) 252mm [E]
Foot length 278mm (discarded size 13mm)
Foot width wide
Round toe
Looking at the numbers, we found that Mikey Last has a width of E (general), but is designed with a wide foot width. And since the width is determined by the foot circumference, the relationship between the width and the height of the instep is not necessarily linked, so the instep will be a little lower.
This can be said to be the result of thinking that blueover shoes are ``wide'', which is a characteristic of Japanese feet, and that the ``insteps'' are never high. In addition, in order to create shoes that are not intended for strenuous exercise, but rather for standing and walking, and that do not cause fatigue even when worn for long periods of time, the shoes should be loose from the instep, but the instep should hold firmly. The idea is to do so.
By the way, I always wear NB's 27.0-27.5 cm and Nike's 27.5-28.0 cm, but when I go with Blueover, I wear 26.5 cm, which is just the right size. It can be said that this was probably because the shoes were worn according to the width of the feet, making them larger than the actual length of the feet. I measured it with a foot measuring device and it was 26.5cm.
This time, in order to learn more about our company's last, we investigated and compared samples from many other companies. Blueover is not a flashy shoe, but I hope everyone can understand that it is a shoe that has been designed to the point where you can't see it. We hope to continue creating better shoes in the future. If you have any concerns or suggestions for improvement, please feel free to contact us and let us know.
Thank you for your continued support of blueover.
