Le Yucca’s Cordovan Moccasins: Crafted to Bend, Built to Shine

Hello everyone, this is Kubo from keylime Tokyo.

If someone asked, “Which leather shoe brand is most closely associated with keylime Tokyo?”—I imagine many of you would immediately think of Le Yucca’s.

In today’s Journal, I’d like to take the time to properly introduce their latest release: the “Cordovan Moccasins.”

First, a quick introduction to Le Yucca’s — this is a premium footwear brand known for its exceptional craftsmanship and elegant silhouettes, with each pair carefully made by skilled artisans at the renowned Italian shoemaker Enzo Bonafé. At keylime Tokyo, we carry new styles from Le Yucca’s nearly every season.

The featured item for the 25SS collection is the “Cordovan Moccasins.” While the design takes cues from classic deck shoes, this model is distinct from the “Boat Moccasins” we carried last year. (Both models share the same Ball last.)

This model features a classic “bag moccasin” construction, where the upper leather is pulled up from the sole to wrap around the foot and then stitched to a separate leather piece over the instep using a moc-toe seam. The result is a tubular, sock-like structure.

Because the upper and sole are crafted from a single continuous piece of leather, the entire shoe flexes naturally with your foot, offering an exceptional level of comfort and flexibility. This method cannot be replicated by machines—each pair is meticulously constructed by hand, showcasing the craftsmanship that defines this traditional and highly skilled shoemaking technique.

At keylime Tokyo, most of our Le Yucca’s orders feature Goodyear welted construction—a method often associated with traditional, British-style shoes known for their durability and structured feel.

However, due to the structural nature of the moccasin-style design, the Cordovan Moccasins introduced here are made using Blake construction, where the outsole is stitched directly to the upper and insole. This is a method more commonly found in Italian footwear, known for its simplicity, lightness, and excellent flexibility—qualities it shares with moccasin construction.

By pairing this lightweight, flexible construction with an upper made from rich, heavy-duty cordovan leather, we’ve deliberately chosen a path that goes against convention. This kind of unconventional combination—elevating a casual summer-ready shoe with an ultra-luxurious material—is exactly the kind of choice that reflects the unique perspective of keylime Tokyo.

Another distinctive feature of the Cordovan Moccasins is their unlined, single-piece leather construction. This is a common approach in deck shoes, where the shoe is made from a single layer of leather without an inner lining. Typically, with smooth leather uppers, the inner side of the shoe ends up showing the suede side of the hide.

However, in the case of cordovan, it’s a different story. The glossy surface of cordovan leather isn’t the outer grain side, but rather what’s known as the “cordovan layer”—a dense bundle of fibers found beneath the surface of the horse’s rump. This layer is revealed and enhanced through a glazing process, where high pressure is applied to compress and polish the fibers, resulting in that signature glassy finish.

That means the interior of the Cordovan Moccasins—unlined though they are—is made up of the true outer surface of the leather. Unlike typical smooth leather where the suede side would face inward, these moccasins offer a sleek, smooth interior even without a lining. (A small leather piece is added at the heel to prevent slipping.) This thoughtful construction allows for an easy, comfortable wear, even with socks.

One of the more niche aspects of these shoes lies in their unique construction—specifically designed to make the most of the distinctive qualities of cordovan leather. For those curious about the source of the leather, the cordovan used by Le Yucca’s is tanned locally in Italy. Compared to American or Japanese cordovan, Italian-tanned cordovan contains significantly more natural oils. These oils gradually penetrate the leather over time, enriching its depth and character.

When first worn, the leather may appear more matte than other cordovan types, but as you continue to wear and polish them, a deep, unmistakable luster begins to emerge. Thanks to the flexible construction, these shoes will develop pronounced creases over the instep, and from those creases comes that rich, dimensional shine that only cordovan can produce. It’s a pair of shoes that becomes more rewarding with every wear.

Interestingly, the silhouette itself is inspired by deck shoes—originally designed to be worn on boat decks. They’re often styled casually, which makes the use of cordovan—a leather that is famously sensitive to water—an intentionally unconventional choice. And that’s precisely what makes this pair so delightful for true shoe enthusiasts. It’s the kind of shoe that might spark a “Wait, what are those?!” moment and lead to a deep dive into the world of leather shoes.

If you do decide to take these home, I hope you’ll enjoy sharing these bits of background as much as wearing the shoes themselves.

At the time of writing this Journal, we still have one pair each in size 40, 40.5, and 41 of the Cordovan Moccasins available in stock. If you’re interested, we encourage you to visit us in-store.

While sizes can be a matter of timing and luck, keylime Tokyo offers a wide selection of Le Yucca’s shoes beyond this new model. As mentioned earlier, the Cordovan Moccasins introduced here are made with the Blake construction, but many of the styles we carry feature Goodyear welt construction—another distinctive point of our ordering approach.

At some point, I’d love to put together a Journal that focuses specifically on the differences between Blake and Goodyear welted constructions. Many of our customers at keylime Tokyo are already well-versed in leather shoes, so this may not be entirely new information—but during the recent premio gordo order event, I had the chance to speak with designer Mr. Tomatsu, and I was reminded once again of how deep and fascinating the world of leather footwear truly is.

I’m looking forward to having more conversations with you all about this endlessly interesting topic.