Footwear brand takes ‘vintage’ idea to Japan
One year after launching the service in its home market, France, footwear group JM Weston is expanding a new, circular service to Japan.
Since the start of 2020, JM Weston has been buying back unwanted, used shoes from its customers, reconditioning the products and selling them to new owners for a cheaper price than its high-end footwear usually costs new.
The company explained that its factory in Limoges has always offered a repair service to customers, with the workshop there restoring around 10,000 pairs per year.
Under the new programme, customers can take old JM Weston shoes into any of the brand’s stores for initial assessment. If the footwear is found to be restorable, the owners receive a voucher worth at least €150 and the shoes wing their way to Limoges.
Experts assess each pair, disassemble the shoes, reshape them on original lasts, resole and polish them before making them available for sale under a special banner, Weston Vintage.
Initially, the company set up two Weston Vintage stores in central Paris. For a limited period of time, it will now add a third in Tokyo, on the ground floor of the Isetan department store in Shinjuku.
