nendo designs 'skirt-shoes' to support small workshop initiative in tokyo

for seibu department store, a selection of women’s shoes designed by nendo is part of a project supporting a small shoe workshop located in shibuya which is known as a gathering place for japan’s younger generation. material is draped over the heel portion of basic pumps and heeled sandals as if the shoes were wearing a skirt. there are three basic designs: a heeled sandal that uses transparent pvc material, pumps that use leather material punched in a dotted pattern, and pumps that combine leather and transparent materials in order to create an impression of separation between the leather. 

nendo’s ‘skirt-shoes’ series
all photographs courtesy akihiro yoshida

the heel is visible through the skirt in each of nendo’s designs, with careful attention given to the overlap of colors and amount of cover. the skirt material has been given just enough leeway that it appears to sway faintly when walking in the shoes. differences between the elasticity and hardness of leather and PVC materials presented unique challenges to the manufacturing process, making the skills and intuition of a shoemaker with many years of experience essential to the products’ creation.