A Message from Designer Eiichi Katsukawa

"JAPAN Shoe Fair 2015," held from Wednesday, October 28th to Tuesday, November 10th, in the Men's Shoes section on the basement floor 1 of Isetan Shinjuku Men's Building, is essentially an "exhibition" of men's footwear. H? Katsukawa from Tokyo, designed by Eiichi Katsukawa, will exhibit "Shoes That Return to the Soil," a model named "return to the soil" made from their original material, "deerskin," under the theme, "What is a material that can return to the soil?" A distinctive feature is its packaging in a specially made coffin-shaped box. OPENERS is exclusively publishing a message from designer Eiichi Katsukawa.

“Can You Return to the Soil?”

I am a shoe craftsman. Even so, I often find myself contemplating the various issues facing the world. And after thinking with all my might with this not-so-large head, I've come to believe that the root of the world's fundamental problems lies in things and matters that cannot return to the soil.

Things and matters that cannot return to the soil continue to cause problems in this world. This may be concentrated in the last 100 years. In these 100 years, humanity has gained many things, but has also lost many things as a result. What has been lost cannot be regained.

As a shoe craftsman, I have decided to wear shoes that can return to the soil. When I eventually return to the soil, I and my shoes will return to the soil completely. That is one of the things I can do. Humans are nature. Nature returns to the soil. Shoes made from natural materials return to the soil.

For example, what if that weapon were made of bamboo? What if that bomb were made of cow dung? Would they return to the soil? Can you return to the soil? That is the theme of these shoes.

"JAPAN Shoe Fair 2015"
Period | Wednesday, October 28, 2015 - Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Location | Isetan Shinjuku Men's Building, Basement Floor 1 = Men's Shoes

Theme is "Are you able to be returned to the soil?"

Even though I'm a shoe craftsman, I think about issues our planet faces every day.
One day I realized that the root cause of all problems we face is "something which cannot be returned to the soil".

In recent years, these "something which cannot be returned to the soil" keep creating problems in the world.
It is only happening in the last 100 years, which is not the long period for 46,000,000 years of our global history.

While human beings gained so many things, we also lost so many things at the same time in the last 100 years.
Something we lost cannot be returned anymore.

As I'm a shoe craftsman, I decided to wear "shoes which can be returned to the soil".

When I return to the soil, my shoes and I can be returned to the soil completely.

This is something I can do. We, human beings are nature.
Nature can be returned to the soil.
Shoes made by natural materials can be returned to the soil.

I also imagine that what if that weapon is made by bamboo, or what if that bomb is made by caw's dropping.
Is it able to be returned to the soil? Are you able to be returned to the soil?

That is the theme for this shoes.

H?Katsukawa From Tokyo (EIICHI KATSUKAWA)
http://hkatsukawafromtokyo.net