Benzein

Bandung, Indonesia: Stridewise has landed in the capital of Indonesia's West Java province to investigate the Indonesian bootmaking scene that has made the city of Bandung one of the world's most exciting shoemaking hotspots. Our editor Nick was passing through southeast Asia with his father and knew that he had to make the three-hour drive from Jakarta to meet the makers he'd been corresponding since this site's earliest years. Thanks to some assistance from the Government of the City of Bandung, Nick was able to film at three of the country's most influential workshops. At the top of the list? The man behind the most beloved Chelsea boots on Earth: Adi Hermawan of Briselblack Bootmaker (formerly known as Benzein Shoes). Adi founded Briselblack in 2018 after growing up in the industry: his family had a wholesale business selling shoes around the six-dollar mark. Now running a six-person team that makes shoes around the six hundred-dollar mark, Adi's brand is a roaring success and is responsible for much of the positive word of mouth that has helped Bandung's boot scene grow exponentially over the last decade. Like most Bandung brands, Briselblack painstakingly hand lasts and hand welts their footwear, but he specializes in laceless models like jodhpurs, engineer boots, and his iconic Chelsea model he's named The Seventh. Perhaps most surprising of all, the man has achieved this level of success and notoriety while only taking orders over Whatsapp and Instagram. Americans start out wary of the ordering process, particularly since Whatsapp itself is uncommon in the United States, but Adi's consistency and reliability has helped build trust throughout the boot scene — a responsibility he doesn't take lightly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vJWQ6F7hgABk Note: Adi's responses to our questions were spoken in Sundanese, with Bandung government officials translating. Stridewise is hugely grateful for their support throughout our trip. Stridewise (SW): The first thing I want to know is why Bandung is such a global headquarters of great boots; how did that happen? Adi Hermawan: There has been a history of shoemaking in Bandung for a long time. When it started, I don't really know. I chose Bandung to find shoe craftsmen to make boots like these, as you can only find such talent in Bandung. Our latest Briselblack Chelsea with a month of wear, made with undyed kangaroo leather from Italy's Maryam. SW: How did your expertise get to such a high level despite not gong to school to learn shoemaking? AH: I learned from my family. Before Briselblack, my family had a wholesale business selling shoes at the price point of $6 and up. So, I’ve always been interested in shoemaking, but getting to a level like this takes time. I got a lot of input from people and customers about design and durability. To achieve that takes a long time. SW: Do you think Bandung's shoemaking and bootmaking industry is saturated, or are there still opportunities for other brands to grow? AH: From my point of view, I’m actually happy when new brands appear in the shoe industry in Bandung. That will make us even more competitive as a brand, and that is what will make us grow even more. If there are no other players in the industry or there are no nearby competitors, that would make it harder to perfect our craft. Nick meets the founders of four Bandung brands: Sagara Bootmaker, Onderhoud, Briselblack, and Winson. SW: A lot of these businesses are known for specific models: Sagara for their monkey boots, Winson for their dress boots, Onderhoud for their boondockers. At Briselblack, it's the Chelsea boot. Why do you think everybody loves The Seventh so much? AH: Why Chelseas? Honestly, it was all accidental. Since the beginning of 2018, I have tried to develop various shoe styles. In late 2019, when our Chelsea first came out, I didn’t expect the interest to be that high. From there, the target market and the market itself began to be formed. We gradually improved the quality. And today, I’ve decided that Briselblack should be known for laceless footwear. Nick, a member of the local Bandung government, and the entire Briselblack company: six guys and Adi himself. SW: In the United States, I often hear from boot companies that they have difficulty finding young people who want to learn how to cobble or how to cordwain Do you have the same problem in Bandung? AH: It’s hard. It's difficult to find someone you can trust to make great shoes. There was a time last year when we needed a new employee, but it’s very difficult to find one quickly, so some orders were delayed. What should have been a five to six-month wait became more than a year. At the beginning of this year, we did manage to hire a new employee. But yes, it’s hard to find people who can work on shoes like ours because most of them are old and the work is difficult. Their eyesight may be failing. So, we have to look for younger employees whose spirits are still high and who can be trusted to work with us. Nick's first pair Briselblacks: gray boots made with horsehide roughout. SW: What are some of the challenges of making laceless boots? It's much more difficult to get a secure fit, right? AH: The challenge is that when you wear laceless shoes, they have to fit directly onto the foot. When boots have laces, if there’s a gap in the fit, it can be tightened. So in terms of features, laceless boots must fit more perfectly than lace-up. SW: How many of your orders are Chelsea boots, as a percentage? Adi: For Chelseas, around 50%. The second is the Engineer we call the Seeker, and then jodhpur boots. Fourth is the Boondocker, then the Hawk. In terms of laceless boots, we've been expanding into this niche with Western boots and side zip boots as well. The Kai jodhpur in horsebutt, Briselblack's most popular leather. SW: The Jodhpur boot you make is the Kai — what inspired Briselblack's specific design? AH: Basically, this boot is inspired by Japanese-style boots. I designed this last to push the foot forward slightly so that the toe gets these lovely rolls. That’s what I’ve been working on for the Jodhpur, Engineer, and Boondocker. We want to focus on the instep to get that nice result with the toe rolls. The Buck in Horween's Rough Out Natural Chromexcel SW: I want to touch on one of your non-slip on boots though. This is the Buck, and the design is very striking. It's like a lace-to-toe wholecut boondocker. How did you come up with the design? Adi: For the Buck boots, I wanted to release lace-to-toe boots because we had been focusing on boots without laces, and these Buck boots have laces all the way from top to toe. So it was a fresh challenge. But there’s one characteristic that’s shared by this boot and the Chelsea: they’re both whole cut, made from one piece of leather. So, whole cut patterns are a part of Briselblack’s character. SW: Do you have a favorite leather to work with or to wear? AH: For now, Briselblack is focusing more on horsebutt leather. Almost 80 percent of our boots are made of horsebutt. Thick horse butt is my favorite leather. I like the way it shapes and rolls on the wearer's instep — when it's thick enough! SW: Tell me about the boots you're wearing now, they're black jodhpurs. How old are they? AH: They're about 1 year old. Why this boot? Because the leather is thick, so it’s good for everyday use. Although it is indeed a little hot for Indonesia because it uses such thick leather: it’s about 2.5 to 2.8mm thick. I’ve been really happy with how the instep has worn, how it's formed rolls the way cordovan does, as opposed to wrinkling. And getting in and out of a jodhpur boot is so easy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vScbWKBUf38Q SW: What percentage of your customers are from Indonesia versus overseas, and how many are from the US? AH: At this moment, almost 90% are from the US. SW: What's the difference between American customers and Indonesian customers? AH: When it comes to Indonesian customers, boot culture is still not as well known here as it is in America. We need more education here to promote what boots are like, to really introduce them to the Indonesian people. Because currently in Indonesia, more people prefer to wear sneakers than boots. SW: Well I hope you do continue to grow and popularize boots of this quality, both in Indonesia and overseas. Is there anything else you'd like to add, a message you'd like to communicate to your customers? AH: Ah... I think that's all. SW: That's all, everyone! Thanks so much for hosting us, Adi. I look forward to coming back again one day and seeing how far you've grown.