In the world of shoes, there are a few big names: Manolo Blahnik. Christian Louboutin. And now, Kevin and Kirsten Shorey.

The Shoreys own and operate Quoddy Trail Moccasins. And though it’s based in the Washington County town of Perry – far, far away from Manhattan’s 5th Avenue garment district – this little company is getting big recognition in the world of style.

During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in early September, Camilla Staerk’s runway models strutted down the catwalk in Quoddy mocs – with a twist. Rather than the traditional brown variety, they wore candy-colored mocs made of butter-soft leather. One donned a pair made of sheared mink.

“You’re going to see moccasins being in style for the next five to eight years,” Kevin Shorey said during a recent visit to Quoddy’s shoe shop.

He should know. In recent years, he and his small crew of craftspeople have turned out hundreds of handmade mocs under the Yuketen label for Japanese retailers – there, the American footwear staple has been elevated to cult status.

For the late winter season, Quoddy has been sewing up bleuchers (high-top mocs) made of Pendleton blankets to match a popular line of blanket coats. They sell for the equivalent of $700 a pair. Like Tom Waits, they’re big in Japan. And what’s big in Japan usually becomes big in the United States a few years later.

“There’s a correlation there between what we’ve been doing overseas and the fashion industry here,” Shorey said. “[Moccasins have] become very, very fashionable.”

In the United States, Vogue and W cover girl Daria Werbowy has become one of Quoddy’s best customers. She’s partial to their ring boots, an update of the hippie favorite from the ’60s and ’70s. And her friends have made the pilgrimage from New York to Perry to buy them.

“I had no idea who this woman was,” Kevin Shorey said. “I just knew she ordered a ton of shoes.”

A line of bleuchers with wool plaid uppers sold out at New York’s tony Bergdorf Goodman, and Scott Schuman, GQ magazine’s “Sartorialist,” featured Quoddy Trail Grizzly Boots in his March 2007 column.

“I especially love the super-stylized natural-crepe sole, which looks like something Nike would have created for Michael Jordan if he had taken up hunting instead of baseball,” he wrote. Oh, and crepe is rubber, for the sartorially challenged.

On a recent morning, the smell of leather and the hum of sewing machines filled the air at Quoddy’s headquarters, located in a former motel on Route 1. Here, a handful of craftspeople cut and sew each pair of shoes individually – this isn’t a factory – and each piece is finished by hand.

The Shoreys’ foray into moc-making began in 1995. At the time, Kevin worked for a printing company in Baltimore and Kirsten worked as a proofreader. They spent their summers in Red Beach. When Kevin’s grandfather decided to sell the nearby Wigwam gift shop, the Shoreys moved to Maine full time to take over. There, they sold Quoddy Trail Moccasins, made by Tomas Kennedy of Kenduskeag. In time, Kennedy sold the Quoddy brand to a Florida company, but the product took a turn for the worse, and Wigwam’s customers weren’t happy about it.

In 1997, the Shoreys made an offer, bought all of Quoddy’s equipment and set about learning the trade from Kennedy, who, coincidentally, apprenticed with Kevin’s uncle. At first, they worked out of their barn, but as demand for the shoes grew, they set up shop in the motel and hired workers who were left unemployed when the state’s shoe manufacturing industry moved offshore.

“When all the shoe companies left Maine, we were able to pick up some of the best craftspeople here,” Kevin Shorey said, “so the quality of our shoes is very, very good, and so is the quality of our leather.”

That hasn’t gone unnoticed. The online forum Ask Andy (www.askandyaboutclothes.com), a site for men who are discriminating about what they wear, is abuzz with recommendations for Quoddy mocs. In the traditional clothing forum, a user posted a picture of his new Quoddy Venetian Loafers, which are like penny loafers. Another user posted in response, “I’ll trade in my girlfriend and her friends for those shoes.”

Apparently, they’re as big here as in Japan. And because they’re a classic – like Polo shirts and khaki pants – Kevin Shorey doesn’t anticipate demand falling anytime soon.

“These people will be buying these shoes regardless of what the trends are 10 years from now,” Shorey said.

Quoddy Trail Moccasins will have a booth at the Common Ground Fair this weekend. For information, visit www.quoddytrail.com or call 853-2488.