STORY

The birth story of brightway

International Shoes Co., Ltd., the makers of brightway, was founded in 1954 in Naniwa Ward, Osaka.

The founder was Yoshikazu Ueda, grandfather of Seiichiro Ueda, founder of Brightway.
Our shoemaking began in a small workshop run by my wife and I.

The spirit passed down since our founding

A philosophy that has been passed down since the company was founded.
The words are "Let's make better shoes."

The most important thing in shoemaking is to "make shoes carefully and honestly, even down to the invisible details."
This was an idea that Ueda Yoshikazu held dear.

For approximately 60 years since our founding, we have been carefully crafting each and every pair of women's shoes, including high-heeled pumps.

Gradually, the company's shoemaking gained a reputation, and it began to handle OEM manufacturing for high-end shoe brands both in Japan and overseas.

From a crisis of survival to a challenge to our own brand

The birth of brightway began when Seiichiro Ueda, the third generation of the factory's founding family, joined the company.

In 2015, after a career as a shoe brand salesperson, he returned to the family business only to find the women's shoe industry in a slump and shrinking industry.

Shortly after I joined the company, we stopped doing business with our main client and we were unable to make shoes for days.

At that time, we asked ourselves, "What kind of shoes do we really want to deliver?"
After much deliberation and consideration, we arrived at a shoe that would make us the best customers in the world.

(Ueda Seiichiro is on the left with the factory founder, Yoshikazu)

A high-heel factory develops men's sneakers. Taking on the challenge of manufacturing from scratch.

The inspiration for the brightway design came when Seiichiro Ueda searched the world for simple, high-quality leather sneakers that could be worn in business settings but couldn't find any.

"If I make this, I can become the best customer in the world."

With this in mind, the company began developing its first men's item since its founding, leather sneakers.

A series of failures and a painful realization of the high hurdles to development

Once we started development, there was a constant stream of failures and trial and error.

In fact, the shoe industry has a complex and diverse production background, with the industry divided into men's and women's, and factories further divided by item.

Also, the development process and manufacturing methods for sneakers are very different from those for women's shoes, and the parts are different, so at the time there were no factories that could make men's shoes from women's shoes.

The first thing he did was to buy sneakers from all over the world, disassemble them, and study them.

On weekends, I would attend shoe school to learn how to make men's shoes and sneakers, and then spend my days doing research and development on weekday evenings.

The most desirable pair of shoes in the world. A desire that never gave up.

After many failures, they made a mountain of prototype shoes.
The reason why I didn't give up.

That was, "These sneakers will definitely please many people and become the best sneakers in the world."

Because that's what I believed.
After much trial and error, brightway's first model, "Giichi," was finally completed.

This first model was named in homage to the factory's founder, Yoshikazu Ueda.

The first time I've seen customers happy since the company was founded

Then in 2020, brightway made its brand debut on Makuake, which was then known as a crowdfunding site.

Many customers purchased Brightway, which they had never seen before.

It was the first time since the company was founded that a product bearing our own name took flight into society.

Until now, we had been a behind-the-scenes presence for the brand, unable to see our customers directly, so this was the first time we were able to connect with them.

The thoughts behind our company name: a brand that takes flight around the world

Our dream is what the factory founder envisioned

The company name International Shoes embodies our hope that one day the shoes we make will bring joy to customers all over the world and enrich their lives.

Since our founding, we have maintained the philosophy of "making shoes with sincerity that can be enjoyed for a long time."

We will continue to make the best shoes that will please everyone.