If the first person to ever say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” had imagined it would one day apply to loafer-sandals, their brain would surely pop. And yet, the hybridization of these two ubiquitous footwear styles into the aptly named Suipper by Bed J.W. Ford (pronounced “Bedford,” FYI) and Suicoke adheres to the idiom.

First introduced in March as part of the two Tokyo-based brands’ "Trompe-l'œil" series, the Suipper’s first iteration melded a more traditional fringe loafer style with Suicoke’s sandal straps. Call it the Mullet Rule: business in the front, party in the back (though this style was maybe a bit more dadcore on the back half). 

For this new release, available July 25 for ¥77,000 (about $470), the same straps remain, but the front has lost the tassels, opting instead for simpler suede-blue and alligator-print black leather options.

Compared to the first collaborative shoe in the series — the “Monster Sole,” which combined sandal straps with a hairy faux-fur sole — the loafer-sandal feels tame.  That says a lot about where we’re at culturally. Though the collaboration takes inspiration from the fancy French term meaning “deceive the eye,” there’s something almost ironically comforting about how direct this new silhouette is. 

Sure, a pair of baggy pants pooling around the Suipper might obscure its blended form, giving the impression that you’re just puttering around in a particularly nice pair of loafers, but even catching those sandal straps on the back only feels slightly worthy of an eyebrow-raising second glance.

That’s not a drag. Seeing every rule about footwear design fly out the window is a welcome development. And of the many strange shoes on the market — from Trippen and Karl Valentin Gebhardt’s backward-stitched derby to Mizuno’s loafer/boat hybrid — the Suipper is a solid option for someone looking to match freak with functionality. 

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