Tatami Collaborates with Japanese Brands

Tatami, the luxury line from 240-year-old German shoe brand Birkenstock, has teamed up with five popular Japanese brands to produce a line of limited-edition men's sandals (OK, they're technically men's, but we think some of them are stylish enough for us larger-footed women, too). The shoes will go on sale at Isetan Shinjuku from July 31.

The brands participating in the project are Kolor Beacon, White Mountaineering, Sacai, N. Hoolywood and Takahiro Miyashita The Soloist. Each brand created their sandals by putting their own spin on standard Tatami models: Dakar, Pillica, Rhein, Mississippi, and Themse.

Prices range from ¥34,650 to ¥40,950, and only 100 pairs of each model have been produced.

Tatami was launched in 1990 by Alex Birkenstock. The brand seeks to reproduce the texture of walking on tatami mats when one wears its sandals. The four-layer footbed, which was created after extensive anatomical studies, is durable, functional and absorbent.