Mr. Sohei Machida, Modelist of Kobe Leather Cloth

From "WORLD PEOPLE", which introduces the unique members of the World Group, we present an interview with Sohei Machida, a Kobe Leather Cloth modelist (wood pattern maker). (From an article on November 15, 2021)

Fascinated by leather shoes, went to a shoe vocational school

_What kind of job is a wooden pattern maker?

To put it simply, a shoemaker's job is to create prototypes for shoe designs. A prototype is made by carving a wooden footprint and applying putty.

_ When did you decide to become a wood pattern maker?

When I was in college. After graduating from high school, I entered a university in Sendai, where I joined an orchestra circle. Since it was an orchestra, there were many opportunities to wear suits, and I often wore dress shoes as a matter of necessity. From there, I gradually became interested in shoes and wanted to make my own shoes.

_How old were you when you dropped out of college?

It's January of my fourth year at university (laughs). The vocational school I wanted to attend said that I had to take a trial course starting in January before I could enter, so I dropped out. After learning about shoes at that school, I got a job at an affiliated bespoke shoe brand and became a shoemaker. At that company, I also taught wooden molds as a lecturer, and worked there for about 10 years.

Even if you measure accurately, it is not always possible to make shoes that are just the right size.

_Did you get a job at Kobe Leather Cloth after that?

Before joining this company, I entered a vocational training school for only one year. I wanted to learn 3D CAD (a 3D drafting tool for drawing product blueprints) and CAM (a system for creating machine tool programs based on 3D CAD drawings).

_What kind of shoe lasts are you currently making?

We are mainly commissioned by shoe manufacturers in Tokyo to create wooden patterns for shoes and prototypes for heels and soles. The wooden pattern is mainly for ready-made products, but the shape does not matter, from sneakers to heels. In the past, I was also asked to make wooden patterns for clogs. Also, I can't name names, but I also work on shoes for famous collection brands. We make about the same number of prototypes for heels and soles as we do for wooden molds, so the ratio is about half and half. In addition, the heel sample is designed with 3D CAD and manufactured with a 3D printer. With the conventional method, it was necessary to manufacture with a mold, but for ultra-small quantities of shoes, it is possible to shorten the delivery time and reduce the cost by manufacturing with 3D printing.

Mr. Machida's fingers became thicker by continuing to make wooden patterns. “My grip strength reached 60kg before I knew it (laughs).”

_I think that the shape of each person's foot is different.Is there anything difficult about making a wooden pattern?

In the first place, people's feet are different from left to right. And then The sense is also each person. For example, in order to make bespoke shoes, even if the person's feet are perfectly measured, it is difficult to make shoes that are just the right size. By talking about various things when making it, I understand the taste and feeling of the person and make fine adjustments. So communication is really important, isn't it? There are also difficulties when making wooden patterns for ready-made shoes. I think it's a job that can't be done without experience.

_How many wooden patterns do you make in a month?

It varies from time to time, but even if there are many in a month, it's about 10 types. It takes about 8 hours to make one mold.

Tricker's wing tip boots on this day. “I like boots and own a lot of them, including my own. By the way, I only have one pair of sneakers.”

I want to expand my range of expression

_Finally, please tell us if you have any dreams for the future.

I would like to reduce the amount of manual work as much as possible and increase the amount of work done on the computer. In other words, I want to incorporate more things that only computers can do. Of course I think it will be done by hand. For that reason, I would like to master 3D CAD. I would like to avoid using the word “cannot” as much as possible.

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Sohei Machida / Born in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. After graduating from a vocational school for handmade shoes, he got a job at an affiliated bespoke shoe brand. After working as a wooden pattern maker and lecturer, he went through a vocational training school and joined Kobe Leather Cloth in 2016. My hobby is handcraft. “Not only the shoes, but also the shelves and dining table at home are made by myself.”