Noriyuki Misawa Makes Shoes an Art in Their Own Right
Noriyuki Misawa is one of the best-known luxury shoemakers in Japan. His made-to-measure creations, which show minute attention to detail, are worn by clients worldwide.
Having grown up surrounded by his mother’s art books, Noriyuki Misawa developed a sense of intellectual curiosity at a very young age. He soon became fascinated by leather shoes and decided to do an apprenticeship in Tokyo to become a shoemaker. Seven years later, he headed to Vienna, a city particularly known for training courses in art and crafts.
For Misawa, the shoe is gradually becoming an artistic object. When he returned to Japan, he focused primarily on leatherwork. To do this, he worked alongside an artisan who was specialised in this domain, an experience which equipped him with a great deal of technical skill and allowed him to develop his imagination. In 2014, he held his very first exhibition in Ginza Gallery in Tokyo. His subsequent exhibitions, of which there have been many, took place in New York, Cannes and, most recently, London.
Today, Noriyuki Misawa is seen as an artist-shoemaker, the two sides inextricably linked. This double job allows Misawa to continue to attract increasingly illustrious clients to his Tokyo workshop, including directors Spike Lee and Park Chan-Wook.
TRENDING
-
Tendo Mokko: Furniture to Hand Down from Generation to Generation
Japanese brand Tendo Mokko has been producing plywood furniture for almost eight decades, and collectors are still eagerly snapping up the company’s creations.
-
Kabuki Prints Soon to be Displayed at the British Museum
Kabuki, the traditional Japanese epic form of theatre which enjoyed its heyday from the 1600s to 1800s, is centred on male plays.
-
'Weaving Shibusa', the Documentary which Proves that the Best Denim Comes from Japan
Levi’s jeans may be known worldwide, but the documentary Weaving Shibusa proves that they are not the best in terms of quality – far from it, in fact.
-
Seigaiha, the Wave Motif Inspiring Contemporary French Fashion
The Seigaiha wave is an ancestral Japanese motif which first appeared in the 6th century. Seigaiha literally means 'blue sea and waves'.
-
The Vision of Toshiyuki Inoko, a Founder of teamLab
What exactly is teamLab, known as an art collective? To find out, we interviewed its founder and chief representative, Toshiyuki Inoko.
