Tabi shoes are turning heads from Hollywood to Melbourne. What makes this Japanese footwear so special?

By Seena Katayama, ABC

These oddly shaped shoes are turning heads from Hollywood to Melbourne’s Swanston Street.

First released in the late 1980s, high-end French fashion brand Maison Margiela’s cloven-hoof-like tabi shoes were inspired by the Japanese footwear of the same name.

Designer Martin Margiela said he first saw them being worn by construction workers during a visit to Japan.

The brand’s range these days include loafers, boots and ballet flats – the most popular retailing for A$1430 (NZ$1590) a pair.

They even have a rhinestone cowboy-boot style with a price tag of A$12,790.

In the West, Margiela’s polarising designs have long been a symbol of wealth and style.

But recently a new generation of celebrities have discovered the tabis, bringing them into the public consciousness.

Zendaya wore them in Sydney, Pedro Pascal on the red carpet, and Dua Lipa during on a night out in New York.

Earlier this year, Vogue India declared the Maison Margiela tabis “shoes of the year”.

That accolade followed a viral saga on social media platform TikTok, when a New York content creator went on a Tinder date with someone who stole her A$1800 tabis – and was later able to track down the thief.

The humble origin of the tabi

The split-toe design of tabis is thought to have originally come to Japan from China in the 5th century as socks – which worked well with thongs.

In the 15th century, a version made out of a single piece of leather that could be worn outdoors became popular.

Later, when leather prices increased, cotton started to be used.

Shojiro Ishibashi – who would go on to found Bridgestone tyres – reinvented the tabi in 1922 by reinforcing the soles with rubber and metal latches.

These days in Japan, the sock form of tabi is once again most common.

Tabi shoes, now known as jika-tabi, are still being worn at traditional summer festivals which often involve carrying portable shrines around the neighbourhood and dancing.

They are also still popular among construction workers – who wear them with baggy trousers that allow the wearer to feel the wind and maintain their balance when working high up.

Unlike their French designer interpretation, these tabi-style shoes – which often have steel-reinforced toes – usually retail for just A$50.

Challenging conventional ideas of beauty

RMIT fashion design lecturer Alexandra Sherlock said the polarising cloven-hoof shape of the tabi had always garnered attention for Western audiences, especially in fashion circles.

“[Margiela] is not making the tabi just because it’s unusual, but he’s doing it to deconstruct notions around beauty and what we consider beautiful and what we might consider ugly,” she said.

Dr Sherlock said tabis were popular because they signalled the owner understood high fashion and could afford them.

An opportunity for traditional craftspeople

The Marugo company in the city of Kurashiki has made tabis for over 100 years, and are one of the few dedicated tabi makers still in business in Japan.

Akira Namidome from Marugo told the ABC that the popularity of tabis in the West was helping keep the tradition alive in Japan.

“We have always sold a consistent amount of tabis for the summer festival,” Namidome said.

However, he said fewer people had been taking part in these festivals in recent years.

But adapting to changing trends is helping to keep businesses like Marugo open.

The company created a new line of tabis geared towards their fashion-forward clientele, with a diverse range of styles and materials.

Maki Hashimoto from SOU SOU, a Japanese textile maker which sells tabis with colourful patterns made with traditional materials, said half their clientele were from overseas.

While the popularity of tabis has risen internationally, Hashimoto said she hoped Japanese people would continue to enjoy the shoes – and that the tradition would not be lost.

“When I first joined the company a few decades ago, there were at least a dozen tabi makers, but now there are only three major ones including Marugo,” she said.

“I wear them to work, I wear them when I go running, when I go play golf … I want everyone to see why I love them so much.”

– ABC