Having worked in factories and shoe repair shops, Hender Scheme founder and designer Ryo Kashiwazaki has always considered himself a “maker” first and foremost. Fittingly, the cult Japanese footwear brand focuses on fine craftsmanship above all. Its handcrafted, premium leather shoes feature streamlined silhouettes and meticulous leatherwork, in a fusion of modern style and traditional manufacturing techniques. Exploring the intersections of artisanal and mass-market production methods, the brand’s “Manual Industrial Products” collection features reproductions of iconic, mass-produced sportswear sneakers, handcrafted entirely in layers of durable, high quality vegetable-tanned leathers. Over time, they develop a patina unique to the wearer, adding a novel textural dimension to footwear styles that are typically uniform in look.