The 2 Monkeys Sportif 2 Shamrock 【TM94905】

The 2 Monkeys' classic boots, the Sportif / Sportif-2, are crafted to reproduce the curvy silhouette and surprisingly light and comfortable fit of early 20th-century boots. Their key features are a sole with a slender waist (arch area) and a supple leather upper (the body of the shoe above the sole) that molds to your foot from the first wear.
*Please see the end of this description for the reasons why early 20th-century boots had these characteristics.

In this respect, The 2 Monkeys' classic boots are a different type of boot from work boots. These boots allow you to enjoy the classic and elegant look that once existed, along with a surprisingly light and comfortable fit.

The distinctive spade-shaped sole is made of leather. The front half is constructed with a Goodyear welt, while the back half, from the narrowed waist to the heel, is attached using the McKay method, combined with a small, pitched heel (a heel tapered towards the ground). The protruding edge of the forefoot, the slender waist, and the heel that emphasizes the curve of the heel beautifully highlight the organic curves of the human foot. This sole is very lightweight. While leather as a material contributes to this, it's also because the area is smaller due to the narrowed waist, and there is no filling between the insole and outsole in the McKay-constructed rear half. The lightweight sole results in an overall surprisingly nimble shoe. This sole, combined with the supple upper leather, creates a unique wearing experience where the entire foot feels enveloped in leather. In particular, the sensation of the arch of the foot being supported by the leather from below leads to a soft comfort not often found in other boots.

The Sportif / Sportif-2 are open-laced boots with a moccasin-style toe. The moccasin toe construction, originally from indigenous North American footwear, was adopted primarily for hunting boots in America in the mid-1920s. Subsequently, it became a design used in various shoes such as loafers and work boots, though it tended to be used for more casual footwear. In the Sportif / Sportif-2, this moccasin-style toe is combined with the nimble construction of earlier era boots.

Compared to the Sportif, which was designed with the entire upper made from the same leather, the Sportif-2 is designed for two-tone leather (using different leathers for the upper and lower parts). To allow for the two-tone leather, which was common in the closed-laced boots that dominated boot design from the late 19th to early 20th century, even in an open-laced boot, a seam has been added to the lower part of the quarter (the area on both sides of the ankle). This design was particularly prevalent in boots around the 1910s.

The Sportif-2 "Shamrock" is a two-tone boot that combines two types of green leather. It uses moss green smooth leather for the vamp (toe to instep) and the lower part of the heel, and bright green grained leather for the upper part of the quarter. The moss green smooth leather is Italian horsehide. It is vegetable-tanned and dyed, then lightly oiled and massaged to achieve a soft finish. The bright green grained leather is domestically produced cowhide. It is vegetable-tanned and thoroughly massaged to create fine grain. Since the grain is formed by massaging rather than embossing, the pattern is not uniform, but it has a natural expression. "Shamrock" is a general term for a trefoil (sometimes four-leaf) plant, like clover. The shamrock is the national flower of the Republic of Ireland, and the national color of Ireland, green, comes from the shamrock. This is the origin of the name for the two-tone green Sportif-2 "Shamrock."

Finally, I would like to add a supplementary explanation about The 2 Monkeys' classic boots, taking into account their historical background. (The explanation focuses mainly on the history of Europe and America, especially America.)

The early 20th century (until around the early 1920s) was a time when everyone wore boots daily. Automobiles were not widespread, paved roads were few, and people had to walk on dirt every day. Since short shoes would allow dirt and pebbles to enter, men and women, adults and children alike, wore boots. Precisely because everyone wore them daily, there was a strong demand for comfort and design in boots. Soft, foot-friendly leather, and soles and uppers that incorporated many curves, are features that arose from the unique demands of this era.

By the late 1920s, automobiles began to spread, and by the 1930s, paved roads also increased. People started wearing short shoes, and boots became something worn by those working in agriculture, manufacturing, or by soldiers in the military. To suit these purposes, boots were made to be safer and more robust, and the work boots and military boots that evolved in this way, while highly durable, became stiff and heavy to wear.

In both America and Japan, there are many brands that continue to produce excellent work boots, reproduce them, or skillfully arrange and offer them. However, there are hardly any brands that reproduce the merits of boots from the earlier era, which could be called "classic boots." The 2 Monkeys' classic boots are, so to speak, designed to allow today's boot enthusiasts to enjoy the beauty and light comfort of "boots from an era long forgotten, when everyone wore boots."