06/09/2026
Jianming Li designed the Iga. Lisandro Serra Delmar - known as Li - took the design and built the Koga from it, in split toe.
Two names, one mark: Li².
Li, for the name on Jianming Li's door. Li, for the name Gaucho Ninja's founder answers to.
Jianming Li trained as a bespoke shoemaker and fashion designer in China, now based in New York. He has worked with Rick Owens, and holds a Global Footwear Awards win Boots 2024. This is Gaucho Ninja's first collaboration with an outside designer. The Iga and Koga clans represent the most legendary ninja (shinobi) networks in feudal Japanese history.
Li drew direct inspiration from these rival neighbour clans to name his dual-model sneaker line: The Iga and The Koga.
Both sneakers share an identical construction baseline - built on a wide barefoot last with a zero-drop profile, flexible thin soles, and low-ground clearance designed for natural movement and balance. The distinction between the two models directly reflects the heritage of the two clans:
The Iga (Closed Toe): Designed as an understated, everyday barefoot sneaker. Just as Iga ninjas were masters of disguise who blended seamlessly into common crowds, the Iga shoe features a classic closed toe box that looks conventional from the outside while retaining barefoot functionality inside.
The Koga (Split Toe / Tabi): Designed with a traditional Japanese split-toe (tabi) design that separates the big toe from the rest, this design pays direct homage to historical Japanese working and stealth footwear, allowing the big toe to grip independently for enhanced natural biomechanics and balance.
By pairing the two models under the names of Japan's two most famous ninja provinces, Li captured both sides of the ninja philosophy: quiet everyday adaptability (Iga) and specialised functional form (Koga).
Available for pre-order now.
Which one is for you?
