Walk New York’s streets with footwear brand FEIT

Some design principles, such as those found with the footwear brand FEIT, are so uncomplicated and understated that they can be found in different iterations in different corners of the world. The value placed on craftsmanship is one of these; so is the use of natural materials that not only can last a lifetime, but also get more handsome with each passing year. Seeing beauty in imperfection is another, and authenticity is tied in with that: the idea that a one-off object is preferable to a mass-produced one; that the worth of a hand-made item lies expressly in that item’s perhaps off-kilter uniqueness. In New York’s Greenwich Village, two creative spirits are at the heart of two completely different projects with nevertheless a completely attuned perspective. At The Greenwich Hotel, a The Aficionados partner, the penthouse suite is designed according to the Japanese wabi sabi principle of aesthetics, executed by the renowned Belgian interior designer and art collector Axel Vervoordt. His signature use of neutral, earthy tones, his inclination to leave walls and finishes imperfect, and his use of rustic wood and stone accents, make this luxurious and spacious penthouse a modern interpretation of the ancient Japanese concept. Just a 10-minute walk away from the Greenwich Hotel, you can find one of Tull Price’s two NYC stores. Price is the founder of FEIT, a footwear label he started with his brother Josh in 2005. After a career in footwear that spanned more than 20 years, he became disillusioned with the demands of mass production and the extreme cost-cutting to which it leads. FEIT is a counterpoint to consumerism and over-production, instead it is a label where product integrity and sustainability come first, while also emphasizing craftsmanship and individuality. FEIT takes as its blueprint a trademark seamless one-piece upper, hand-stitched at the heel, which is based on a set of lasts built in 2005 with the 96-year-old Tuscan master last-maker Verdichio Padrone. That knowledge is brought to China, where highly skilled craftsman assemble and sew together the shoes – giving new meaning to the ‘Made in China’ label.

Each shoe is unique thanks to this, and thanks to the use of materials – vegetable-tanned leather, cork, rubber, and bamboo shank give the footwear the coveted natural aesthetic that would blend in perfectly with The Greenwich Hotel’s Vervoordt-designed penthouse suite, with its muted, close-to-nature tones. Even if you were to take these shoes off, there’s more wabi-sabi to be found in Shibui, the Spa at The Greenwich, which boasts five treatment rooms and an Onsen, a traditional Japanese soaking bath. Shibui means a subtle and unobtrusive approach, and this peaceful retreat, made of 250-year-old-barn of Japanese dark barn timber, certainly does the trick.

Some design principles are so uncomplicated and understated that they can be found in different iterations, in different corners of the world. The value placed on craftsmanship is one of these; so is the use of natural materials that not only can last a lifetime, but also get more handsome with each passing year.

FEIT handmade footwear New York | The Aficionados