Kids have all kinds of shoe options. From lace-ups to Velcro, sneakers to slip-ons, punky kicks to wingtips. And if I had a penny for every brightly hued pair of kiddy Crocs I’ve seen festooned with those little crocessories, I’d be a very wealthy man. It’s time for something different. It’s time for Sou·Sous. Easy to don, easy to love, look no further for a back-to-school find that no other peep-fashionista will be sporting.
Word on the street:
1. kid [kid] noun
a) Informal. a child or young person.
b) a young goat.
2. shoe [shoo] noun
a) an external covering for the human foot.
b) an object or part resembling a shoe in form.
3. Sou·Sou [soo-soo] kids’ shoes noun
a) A cleft-toed external covering for the feet of kids (see definition 1.a above) that resembles a shoe in form, but stylistically is so much more.
Sou·Sou calls the footwear “tabi shoes”. And tabi is a Japanese colloquial term which roughly translates to “bags for feet”. They are a modern take on the conventional shoes worn by Japanese roof workers. With a rubber sole, 100% cotton upper (always a more eco-friendly choice than leather) and form fitting clasps, the shoes were designed to give the maximum traction while supporting the foot, ankle and calf. The same rudimentary design is updated in Sou·Sou’s offerings for children, and the shoes – handmade by local artisans in an ambiguous workspace at the Sou·Sou shop – are a comfortable fit for even the tiniest feet.
Forgoing the somber colors usually associated with tabi shoes, the Sou·Sou kids line comes in grey and white polka dot, blue and white Hiragana (Japanese characters), red and white “crests” and black and white crosses. Most Sou·Sou shoes feature an alternate pattern or color for the inner fabric because as the site suggests, “You can wear these tabi shoes by undoing the fasteners on the side and folding the top part over, revealing the lining within.”
Sou·Sou kids’ shoes cost around $55, with an approximate shipping cost of $15, but before you make a purchase be sure to check the sizing chart (in Japan shoe sizes are measured in centimeters) and remember that it is almost mandatory that you also pick-up a few pairs of cute tabi socks.
Awesome, ninja lobster boots for kids.
Hallowe’en will be off the hook this year
Reminds me of my childhood attempts to be a ninja turtle. Do they come in purple?
There are various colors not shown here that are available at the Sou.Sou website (text in Japanese only). I do believe they have lobster red and Ninja Turtle green (only Donatello wore purple).
Hello People and fans of jika tabi ^^
Thank you for reading this post, we would like to invite you all guys to visit our newly launched website at http://www.japonista-sole.com with our upcoming new series and lineup of cool, pop, funky designs of the jika tabi starting our first release dated this coming December.
Some of our designs have been started for pre-order already so we hope you can catch your size before it runs out. Our initial release would be a limited version of the first series with only 300 pairs for all sizes available so they will definitely be rare after they become sold out.
Our release pattern would be in sync with the changing seasons and motif of Japan. Our inspiration is to be the “Sole of your soul” and “Soul of your sole” and under the cool concepts of http://www.japonista.com, we dare to share an alternative and refreshing taste of our approach to designing the jika tabi to the rather flamboyant and extrovert senses of the foreigners and fans of Japanese culture worldwide with a little spice of shibui-ness or whatever it means. Err. with wabi sabi and zen touch but essentially kawaii and cool!
Please kindly check us out then and be sure to bookmark our website for more updates and new release information then!
Have a great day and thanks and hi from Japan!
^.^Vc++
Japonista team