Xtof Corthay is the brother of Pierre Corthay. His actual name is Christophe Corthay and for a long time, he worked at Corthay as head of the bespoke department. When Corthay sold the company to another individual, Christophe decided that it was time to part ways and ventured off on his own. His moniker then became Xtof Corthay, whereby he was his own individual making bespoke works of art. At the same time, he teamed up with someone else and created the bespoke shoe company Atelier Du Tranchet whereby they made creations unlike you could imagine in your wildest fantasies. Sadly Atelier Du Tranchet closed down and Christophe is now just Xtof Corthay.

With the closing of his company, it did not stop Xtof Corthay from continuing to shock the world with his creative genius by participating in most of the world’s shoemaking contests, including the Bespoke Shoemaking Championship that we have at the London Super Trunk Show. I always looked forward to seeing what he comes up with and hope that he sent in this year. Secretly, I have always wanted him to win as I really feel Christophe’s passion for what he does. Of course, this has never swayed my decision in my vote for his work, though, as fair is fair and I don’t break that for anyone. But it is evident that he is always pushing himself to do better, to be better and I love that.

One of his latest creations is this very unique and very cool pair of two-tone derbies. While the sole is obviously more for show than for actual use (this was a submission into a contest, apparently), I do find the upper to be one of the coolest derby designs that I have seen. And that is what I love about Xtof Corthay’s work. His desire to continuously push the boundaries of design to create unique pieces that you truly won’t find anywhere else. This derby is actually one of the more subtle styles he has created but among my favorite. That subtle piping that runs along the vamp piece was the beautiful icing on the cake to a fantastic design.

If you are intrigued by shoe design and seeing unique pieces, I highly suggest you follow his Instagram Page. You will find magic there if he continues to post his workings

Learn more: https://www.instagram.com/xtofcorthay/?hl=en