As I describe in the Alessandro article, passing on a pair of shoes I'd bought twenty years earlier gave me a clear sense of what it means to be a genuinely old house. The product quality is a given — but what struck me was the structure Berluti has maintained since its founding, more than a hundred years ago, for supporting customers in caring for and using their purchases over the long term. That commitment, sustained across generations, is what actually builds a brand. It's what prompted me to write about them.
The experience the article is based on is what the BERLUTI Ginza store did for me directly — a standard of care that I found genuinely impressive.
BERLUTI is known above all for its shoes. The patine — the colour applied by hand at the house — gives each pair a quality that no other shoemaker can replicate. The bags and wallets carry the same character: pieces with the gravity appropriate to a man of some experience, and a quiet French wit in the details. Because the house began with shoes, leather is at the centre of everything — and the quality of their leather goods puts them a level above comparable brands.
The range is menswear, so it isn't a place for shopping with a partner. But the interior has a Parisian atmosphere that's genuinely pleasant to spend time in. If you find yourself in Ginza on a day off, it's worth a visit.
Website https://www.berluti.com
6-6-7 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
03-6218-0388
OPEN 11:00 – 20:00 ※ Sundays: 11:00 – 19:00
Open year-round
I owned the Alessandro Oxford and the Dandy Sauvage loafer — two of BERLUTI's signature pieces — along with belts matched to each pair. All of them have since been passed on to a younger colleague, who wears them well. As I describe in the article, the customer care and after-service at BERLUTI are exceptional — they support you in using and caring for the pieces over the long term, whoever the owner happens to be. I no longer have any BERLUTI pieces in my wardrobe, but I'm thinking about what might suit where my taste sits now.
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