I discovered them while strolling through Tokyo and ended up buying a pair of shoes. What amazes me is how many ways they find to work with leather and how they explore every aspect of it, from the cutest children’s shoes to cleverly constructed accessories. I also like that repair workshops are part of their story.
HENDER SCHEME
HENDER SCHEME was founded in 2010 in Asakusa, Tokyo’s historic leather district, by Ryo Kashiwazaki. He began making shoes as a part-time job while at university, later repaired them, and trained with Tokyo artisans before starting his own brand. The name comes from “gender schema,” a psychological theory about how we learn gender roles. Kashiwazaki swapped the G for an H to step outside fixed categories. HENDER SCHEME makes leather shoes, bags, accessories and objects. The brand calls its approach “NEWCRAFT”: contemporary ideas realised with the knowledge and techniques of skilled artisans, free from set themes, seasons and categories. At its heart is the belief that an object isn’t finished when it leaves the workshop, because use completes it. The vegetable-tanned leather darkens and softens with wear, so each piece slowly becomes its owner’s. HENDER SCHEME is available at ANDREAS MURKUDIS in Berlin.
