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A pair of boots from Tod’s and Hender Scheme’s collaboration. Hender Scheme’s Ryo Kashiwazaki has taken the Italian firm’s “Gommino” shoe soles to a new extreme in a capsule collection.

Tod’s Gommino loafers reinvented in a Hender Scheme collaboration unveiled at Milan Fashion Week

  • Ryo Kashiwazaki’s Hender Scheme has taken the luxury Italian brand’s knobbly-soled loafers and run with them, increasing the size of the distinctive bobbles
  • The collaborative collection is gender neutral, and combines Tod’s traditions with Hender’s contemporary, eye-catching designs
Fashion

A play on words goes to the heart of a collaboration between Italian luxury brand Tod’s and one of Japan’s most innovative designers. Hender Scheme’s Ryo Kashiwazaki has taken the Italian firm’s “Gommino” shoe soles to a new extreme in a capsule collection, unveiled in September at Milan Fashion Week.

Kashiwazaki, 35, set up the Hender Scheme atelier in Tokyo’s Asakusa district in 2010 with the ambition of creating products that bring together contemporary and eye-catching designs and high-quality, traditional craftsmanship.

He describes his approach to creating shoes as “new craft” and says the opportunity to work with the craftsmen and production team of a company that dates back to 1920 was “very exciting”. He believes he also opened Tod’s eyes to new possibilities.

“I do not have a specific iconic designer who influenced me as I was starting out, perhaps because I never formally studied fashion, but I see it from the perspective of a consumer of fashion,” Kashiwazaki tells the Post.

No matter how much technology progresses, the skills of artisans will always remain important
Ryo Kashiwazaki, Hender Scheme

“I guess my earliest interest in shoes came from playing football, so I was interested initially in football boots,” he says.

Today, his concepts for new designs emerge from “everyday life and experiences”, but the techniques and skills used to create items of footwear are constantly refined and enhanced from the fundamental traditions of the industry that he learned while working as a cobbler.

A pair of loafers from Tod’s and Hender Scheme’s collaboration.

Kashiwazaki considers himself to be both a craftsman and a designer, which gives him perspective of both sides of the process. He was also keen, from the very outset of Hender Scheme, to turn his back on gender stereotypes and produce items that can be worn by men and women.

The brand’s name is a pointer to that, with the G of “gender schema” replaced with an H.

“All our designs are for both men and women and I do not respect the social convention of pink for women and blue for men, although obviously the size and shape of feet is different and we meet that requirement,” he says. “And I think this way of thinking and designing is becoming more common.”

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“What is more important, at least to me, is the craftsmanship and ‘new craft’ that goes into each shoe and leather product. Our ‘new craft’ explores the use of historic techniques to achieve more contemporary ideas and attitudes for the brand.”

After meeting Tod’s chairman, Diego Della Valle, in Tokyo, Kashiwazaki travelled to Tod’s headquarters in Milan and factories in Italy’s Marche region, where he began the process of working with creative director Walter Chiapponi and his team.

“Craftsmanship is the vital element in Hender Scheme’s manufacturing process, and to be able to collaborate with brands that similarly celebrate craftsmanship was inspiring,” he says. “By visiting and observing the factory, I was able to create things by imagining the environment and the people who work there, even though I had to work remotely.”

Ryo Kashiwazaki, founder of Hender Scheme.

He was quick to identify the unique element that he wanted to build on – the small, pebble-like rubber half-sphere attached to Tod’s soles and known as gommino.

“Tod’s has the iconic ‘gommino’ shoe sole, which is completely original and is part of the image of the brand,” he says. “I wanted to combine that with Hender Scheme’s ideas and we came up with a play on the word Tod’s, which can become dots.”

That resulted in the tasselled loafer and the boots in the collection, which use a sole with rubber half-spheres that are several times larger than usual.

A look from Tod’s and Hender Scheme’s collaboration.

“The sole with the huge pebbles was quite difficult to produce because no one has tried to make them this size before, and attaching them was a challenge … but I’m really satisfied with the final product,” he says.

“I love all the products we created and think they are all important, but this one clearly reflects the key ‘TOD’S⇄DOT’S’ concept. By connecting the dots, we reveal the unique connection between Tod’s and Hender Scheme.”

In addition to complications brought by the coronavirus pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, another challenge for Kashiwazaki’s team was filming the promotional video. Filmed as a looping single moving shot with models showcasing the range set against moving spheres, it took more than 60 takes over two days before the team was satisfied.

A look from Tod’s and Hender Scheme’s collaboration.

Kashiwazaki said his collections usually use fewer colours, but he appreciated the opportunity to explore how an Italian shoe company is able to incorporate more colours, as well as some uniquely Italian design features such as the slightly longer toe.

“I think both of us look at the importance of craftsmanship in the same ways and are brands that like to work with leather,” he says. “And when I saw the craftsmen working in the Tod’s factory, I realised again that no matter how much technology progresses, the skills of artisans will always remain important.”

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