Help bring a Master Japanese shoemaker to NZ

Hello! My name's Louise and I'm a  Dunedin shoemaking  teacher. I'm bringing Japanese Master shoemaker Takano Keitaro and his English speaking Assistant to Dunedin in March 2016.

Takano creates bespoke and made-to-order leather shoes from his workshop in Ginza, Tokyo's most glamourous district. I met Takano during an internship in Tokyo in 2015 and was inspired by the generosity of my sensei. Because I believe he will inspire others I promised to bring him to New Zealand. It's an ambitious promise, and one that relies on the support of my wider community to help fund their travel costs.

I am now arranging an exhibition and viewing event of Takano's  Clematis Ginza  shoes at Olveston Historic Home in Dunedin in March 2016. 'Japanese Handmade Shoes by Master Takano Keitaro' will be an Associated Event of iD Dunedin Fashion Week and  Olveston Historic Home is the perfect venue. Furnished with fine art, furniture and artefacts, including items collected from Japan, its grandeur is a fitting place for an exhibition of Clematis Ginza shoes. The house and its crafted contents are echoes of a time when artisan businesses thrived in New Zealand.

The Clematis Ginza workshop seems a world away from Dunedin. However, once upon a time Dunedin's streets were lined with shoemakers and everyone was wearing handmade shoes. The tradition of making and wearing handmade shoes is no longer commonplace in New Zealand; hand skills have given way to mass production and much of our manufacturing industries have moved offshore. Takano's beautifully handcrafted shoes provide a link to the shoemaking traditions of New Zealand's past and this Boosted campaign is your opportunity to revive them.

Thank you for your donation and for sharing this with your friends and family.