SewRaw Completely Rethinks the Oxford Shoe With Colours and Details

A Classic, British Shoe Made Totally Anew In Thailand

The oxford shoe has been a staple in men’s footwear in almost two centuries. The iconic shoe first came to prominence in the beginning of the 1800s when students at Oxford University decided to rebel against the knee-high and ankle-high boots that were part of the uniform at the time by wearing oxfords instead.

Today, the oxford is not exactly rebellious. Personally, I even find it to be a bit dull. It’s the safe choice if you want a good looking shoe that fits with just about everything and every occasion, but it also lacks personality. A couple of friends from Thailand are about to change that.

SewRaw was created by Nathan Kiatkulpiboone and Alex Lim who are dedicated to creating shoes with personality by forging traditional construction with modern design. The brand is launching on Kickstarter this winter, so now’s your chance to be one of the first to get your hands on a pair of these quietly revolutionary shoes.

SewRaw’s Shoes Are Made To Be Worn and Repaired, Not Replaced

Nathan and Alex of SewRaw believe that shoes are made to be worn. Shoes tell a story about who we are and each crease, mark and scratch are testaments to where we’ve been. Thus, our shoes are not just something to throw out when they get damaged.

SewRaw shoes are made from locally sourced, high-quality leather and they’re meant to be worn for a long time; to be a part of the adventure that your life is and, when the time comes, repaired not replaced.

Three Different Styles For Different Tastes

The SewRaw collection has three designs. They all stem from the classic Oxford shoe, but they’re available in a variety of different colourways and leathers as well as SewRaw’s details that make them stand out in an otherwise bland sea of dress shoes. What to choose depends on what you want your shoes to tell about you.

The Modern Oxford style offers a twist on the classic oxford shoe with a defining piece of leather crossing the shoe. The most conservative of the Modern Oxford’s is the black on black, but if you really want to stand out, it’s possible to blend as much as three distinct colours.

The most rebellious of the three is the Asymmetrical Lace-shoe style, which, as the name indicates, moves the laces from the middle of the shoe to the side. At first glance, the design makes the shoe seem askew, thusly asking for a second look.

The last of the bunch is the Single Seam, a more classic shoe, made from a single piece of leather connected at the heel.

All shoes are 90 percent made by hand and sewn by some of Thailand’s most skilled craftsmen. SewRaw even went so far as to custom make special tools for the production. The only part of the shoes not sewn by hand are the soles, where they opted to use a machine to speed up production and ensure the safety of the craftsmen.

Watch the video below to see how and where SewRaw’s shoes are made.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=rrjzMiS67qQ

Get In At the Groundfloor With the SewRaw Kickstarter

If you’re looking to add some colour to your shoe collection, or just need a pair of shoes that stands out in a crowd, you can learn more and check out all the different colour options on Kickstarter and their webpage.

The campaign ends with the year, at December 31, 2015, and SewRaw expect deliveries to take place anywhere in the world, in March 2016.