Khamai Loafers, a Stefano Bemer special for The Anthology
The Patek Philippe of the gentleman’s shoe industry, it comes as no surprise that Stefano Bemer is one of the world’s most coveted shoemaking label. We are honoured to collaborate with Bemer to bring an original design close to our heart to life - a single strap slip-on loafer. This is a creation that encapsulates The Anthology’s savoir-faire: the versatility to dress up and down, and the ever-so modern design with an old-school flair.
Design Process
Hand-drawn by our cofounder Buzz, a graduate of Cordwainer’s Footwear of London College of Fashion with alumnus including Jimmy Choo to Nicholas Kirkwood, we incorporated some sui generis ideas to this design.
The idea exemplifies The Anthology's motto: unlearning and learning from classics in order to make things modern. We are constantly designing classic pieces that can be adapted to the modern environment. As the world is slowly walking away from strict formality, we see the importance of loafers or slip-on eclipsing that of a pair of classic cap-toe oxfords. Don't get us wrong, oxfords still retain their functions to serve, just not during these days.
We observed modern designers constantly neglect the importance of quality. Mass production has given rise to notoriety in quality. At The Anthology, we never overlook craftsmanship. It is a basic benchmark. We are constantly pushing limits, trying to offer creations that can be representative of both quality and creativity. Stefano Bemer upholds the same spirit in their core values. Over the years, it has proven to be the ultimate exemplar of Italian bespoke shoemaking. It went from a lone wolf to a world-renowned independent label with an established shoemaking institution that carries on the beauty of the gentleman's shoemaking legacy. Bemer strives to convey more than just his unique perspective into the world of traditional integrity. It is a cultural phenomenon, a firm stance of perfection and dedication in shoemaking. Their shoes are simply one of a kind.
Origin of the name and the colour
The creation is christened ‘Khamai’, Greek, the origin of ‘chameleon’, also meaning 'on the ground’. With an ever-changing colour under varying intensity and warmth of light, the shoe shifts/transposes between espresso and black. The shoes are exorbitantly hand-polished from their default dark brown to a deep espresso with a mixture of dark brown and black polish to achieve the rich almost-black shade. When worn over time, the lighter brown submerged under its top layer would bleed out and expose its undertone, resembling a cup of dirty coffee where espresso swirls among milk.
What to look out for
Having a partial English identity in the brand, we particularly placed the strap detailing at a unique position as if in imitation of a modified vamp, making the front of the shoe appear visually shorter. We took away an Italian shoe's elongated front look while retaining its original fluidity and assertive personality, incorporating Italian’s fluidity in curves and relentless audacity in design innovation. The most noteworthy thing about the design is the ingenious mix of calf and wild boar, with a refined cast silver buckle attached. It is purely decorative but speaks a lot about the design lexicon of the label.
Executed with the highest level of craftsmanship possible within this price point, the design features a hand-stitched apron on the vamp, a stupendous hand welted sole with a soft bevelled waist, which is all Stefano Bemer’s hand-grade default. We specifically made it a seamless back for a more ‘completed’ look with a dynamic curvature around the heel cup and a subtly slanted heel that makes the back of the shoe look even sleeker and resemble the feature of a bespoke shoe.
How to style it
It is almost paradoxical to describe this as both a formal and casual shoe, but it is, in fact, made possible to be worn in a very versatile manner. We forwent the commonly considered chiselled toe that solely fits into the formalwear category but opted for the ever-elegant almond toe, which gives off a sleek profile without over-compensating on the vamp length. Wear yours with anything from jeans to three-piece striped suits or a powerful double-breasted suit.
(More photos from our 3-year anniversary campaign, click into the link for more inspiration)
This design is based on Stefano Bemer’s C Last, in E width. This product also includes lasted shoe trees, a handcrafted wooden box and individual wool shoe bags made from remnants of tailoring cloth, all handcrafted in Florence, Italy.
If your size is not available, kindly email customercare@theanthology.net for special orders.