The Kyoto Shimbun
  • Home
  • Business/Company
  • News
  • "Cool!" Sneakers with Sandal Thongs
    "Hanao Shoes" from Kyoto Gain Popularity

    18 February 2019 - Business/Company//Kyoto

     

    Yosuke Sakai, assistant professor at Kyoto University of Art & Design (third from the right at the front side of the table), who created Hanao Shoes, and his students= CHIMASKI Studio, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto

    Yosuke Sakai, assistant professor at Kyoto University of Art & Design (third from the right at the front side of the table), who created Hanao Shoes, and his students= CHIMASKI Studio, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto

    "Hanao Shoes," which are sneakers decorated with "Hanao," or thongs for traditional Japanese clogs, have been gaining popularity. Developed under the theme of "Old is New" by an associate professor at Kyoto University of Art & Design, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, this novel design promotes attractiveness of traditions from Kyoto.

    It all started in the spring of 2017, when "Miyako Odori," or a stage performance of traditional Kyoto dance, was held by Gion Kobu Kabukai at the university. Assistant Professor Yosuke Sakai placed "Hanao Shoes," which he had created in a flash of inspiration, in the display at the event venue. There, he received many inquiries about where they could be purchased. He arranged for the shoes to be produced on a commercial basis and used canvas shoes, pricing them at 18,144 yen per pair. When he sold them through a department store during the summer, all of the 140 pairs were sold out within two weeks.

    Sakai insisted on using Japanese products, and ordered sandal thongs from "Kikugonomi," a long-established maker of Japanese sandals based in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, as well as other makers, and canvas shoes from MoonStar Company, Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture. In response to requests, he made sneakers of genuine leather, which cost 29,592 yen, and shoes for children, which cost 8,856 yen. He has also received requests to add thongs from clients' own sandals to the shoes.

    "Hanao Shoes" have risen in popularity as a "cool" item after being sold as a limited-time-only item at department stores, mainly in Kyoto, and on line, as well as in London and Milan. Although their original target was fashion-conscious young people in their 20s to 30s, it is reported that the shoes are highly admired by those who wear kimono on a daily basis such as geisha, apprentice geisha, and people involved in tea ceremony.

    Inspired by the commercialization of "Hanao Shoes," the university founded the Kyoto Traditional Culture Innovation Laboratory last April. Assistant Professor Sakai, who became the laboratory's director, said, "The only word to describe crafts people's attitude toward their work is cool. We would like to expand the possibilities of traditional industries."

    (Translated by Mie Hiuzon, Psyche et l’Amour, Inc.)
  • Also in Business/Company//Kyoto:
    A bride tries on robe décolleté prior to her wedding ceremony (Kamigamo Shrine, Kita Ward, Kyoto)

    Rush Inquiries about Empress's Attire "Robe Décolleté"
    Boom among Brides
    18 November 2019

    Increase to 555 Vacation Rentals in Kyoto City/Excessive Supply Leads to Weeding-Out after Act Enforced in 2018

    Increase to 555 Vacation Rentals in Kyoto City
    Excessive Supply Leads to Weeding-Out after Act Enforced in 2018
    11 July 2019

    Passengers enjoying maple trees from the windows of an Eizan Railway train (Sakyo Ward, Kyoto)

    Radiant Green Maple Trees through Train Windows
    Eizan Trains Slow Down through "Tunnel"
    10 June 2019

    Kimono-inspired hijabs prove culture mashup hit with Muslim tourists

    Kimono-inspired hijabs prove culture mashup hit with Muslim tourists
    28 May 2019

    The author worked to include many illustrations as well as to provide concrete descriptions in "Sekkyaku no Kihon to Kotsu," or the Basics and Tips of Hospitality

    What Is Good-Mannered Service Honed in Kyoto?
    Instruction Book by a Waitstaff Placement Agency's President
    18 February 2019

News Archive
  • August 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • More...
Categories
  • Sightseeing/Events
  • Temples/Shrines
  • Tradition/Culture
  • Local topics
  • Education/University
  • Business/Company
  • Traffic
  • Gourmet
  • 1min Kyoto
  • Kyoto
  • Shiga
Web site
Introducing Privacy Policy Japanese Site
Copyright © 1995-2021 The Kyoto Shimbun Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
We use cookies for a number of reasons, such as keeping our websites reliable and secure, providing social media features and to analyze the performance of ads. Accept & continue Read More
Privacy Policy