The shoes of Tokyo-based Takano Keitaro are a cut above, writes Shane Gilchrist.
Priced between $NZ2000 and $5000 a pair, the shoes of Takano Keitaro are a prestigious fashion statement. Given they require 10 months to complete, they are also an exercise in patience, both for the customer and the creator.
Keitaro, who makes around 60 pairs of shoes a year, has a workshop in Tokyo's Ginza neighbourhood, a district renowned for its high-end goods.
Yet, despite his location, he says his shop, named Clematis Ginza, is merely a by-product of his passion for producing special shoes for his customers.
"I always want to make something new,'' he explains via email (his answers have been translated by his assistant, Chiemi).
"Every day, I'm thinking about what I can make and how I can best make shoes for my customers. It's fun.''
As part of an event associated with iD Dunedin Fashion Week, Keitaro is bringing a selection of his shoes to the city next month.
They will be presented at two private viewing sessions at Olveston Historic Home, at which dress historian Dr Jane Malthus and archaeologist Sheryl McPherson will speak.
As well as the private viewings, Olveston will host an exhibition showcasing Keitaro's shoes as well as remnants of shoe artefacts from local excavations.
Dunedin shoemaker Louise Clifton, who studied under Keitaro at his Clematis Ginza workshop in 2015 and has organised his forthcoming visit, says his beautiful, hand-crafted shoes provide a link to the shoe-making traditions of New Zealand's past, as well as an opportunity to revive such an artisan approach.
"I don't think hand-made shoes will ever replace factory-made shoes. But I do think it's natural for people to want to understand how things are made and to create them, especially shoes, which are both fashion and necessity items,'' says Clifton, who has established her own Dunedin workshop, Shoe School.
"The internship came about when I met a Japanese woman named Chiemi, who was staying in Dunedin as a backpacker in 2012,'' Clifton explains.
"She saw me making shoes and resolved to do the same. When she returned to Tokyo she began at Clematis Ginza as a student and then became Takano's apprentice.
"Chiemi invited me to Tokyo and arranged for me to teach Takano English for an hour each day. In exchange I could spend my days observing him, and evenings attending his classes. I really felt that I was getting the better end of the deal.''
Keitaro says he makes neither Japanese nor European-styled shoes, although he does focus on classic designs.
"People often talk about shoes as works of art. But they are tools for walking; they support our body. Therefore, it is important to use reliable, quality materials. I check every item with my eyes.''
Interested in fashion as a teenager, Keitaro joined a shoe-making school in his early 20s.
"I never thought I'd become a shoemaker. However, the more familiar I became with leather and the craftsmanship involved, the more I fell in love with shoes.
"One day,I found a pair of really beautiful shoes when I was in a shoe shop. The shoes amazed me. Every aspect was full of beauty. This changed my life,'' Keitaro reflects.
The man who had made that pair of shoes was Nobuyoshi Seki, a renowned Japanese "master''.
In Keitaro's words, a "living legend''.
"He had taught me how to think about shoes. He conveyed a sense of beauty, a philosophy that combines quality and design.''
See it
Olveston will present two private viewings of a selection of ‘‘Clematis Ginza'' shoes by Takano Keitaro. The shoes will be presented to guests by models in the Great Hall for two nights only in an associated event of iD Dunedin Fashion Week. Guest speakers include dress historian Dr Jane Malthus and archaeologist Sheryl McPherson. To accompany the private viewing, an exhibition will showcase a selection of Keitaro's ‘‘Clematis Ginza'' shoes and remnants of shoe artefacts from local excavations.
Keitaro and his assistant, Chiba Chiemi, will travel from Tokyo to Dunedin to attend the events. By appointment, Keitaro and Chiba will provide technique demonstrations and shoe shining.
What: "Japanese Handmade Shoes by Master Takano Keitaro''
When: March 15-19, 10am-3pm
Where: The Drying Room, Olveston Historic Home, 42 Royal Tce, Dunedin
Cost: Free
For more details visit: www.clematis-ginza.com www.olveston.co.nz or www.shoe-school.com
What: Private viewings of Japanese Handmade Shoes by Master Takano Keitaro
When: Tuesday, March 15, and Wednesday, March 16, 6-7pm
Where: The Great Hall, Olveston Historic Home, 42 Royal Tce, Dunedin
Cost: $40; tickets available online: www.olveston.co.nz/visiting-olveston/events-calendar or by contacting Olveston on (03) 477-3320
