Last week, I wrote about Tetsuya Uenobe and his amazing footwear…this week I have something even better…words from Tetsuya himself. Check out his interview below.

Tetsuya, I adore your work and it’s obvious passion is your drive. But do you find it difficult breaking into the mainstream fashion market with such unusual creations?

Yes I understand that. My artline is like a performance to show my ability and passion. I hope people like my other lines on my website. At the beginning, I just made shoes that were only slightly ‘arty’, which I exhibited at a few trade shows; however this left very little interest from buyers. There were probably two main reasons for this, cost, and of course nothing was particularly eye-catching. This is the reason why I have changed my train of though and instead, decided that making people smile and ignoring budget issues would be the way forward. And besides, If I did not have my artline, you would not be interested in my works!?

Hmmm, you have a point there…So we know that you worked with Hanae Mori, that must have been a dream come true for you, what did you learn from your time spent with her?

She was an organiser for the exhibitions you mentioned in your previous post (the Open Gallery and the Art Tower Mito). She managed whole concepts and checked the themes and quality of the work on display. I had an interview with her once and the opportunity to have a chat each time during both exhibitions. She was always curious about the work going up. I took a lot from the talks we had; she asked me in the interview if I read newspaper – I think this means I have to be open minded and not just look straight ahead, but all around. She also advised me that I should hire at least 3 employees within 5 years. I took from that, that I should increase my brand awareness and grow it into a respected and stable label.

So then, where do you see yourself in 5 years time…what do you want to achieve?

I hope my brand will be well-known, to the point where I can give my designs to another fashion atelier.

What advice would you give to other emerging fashion designers out there?

I am still one of the emerging designer, so I’m still learning myself; but at this moment I think the most important things are to keep the passion and just hang in there until someone finds you.

Lastly, what’s your favourite piece that you’ve created?

In artline, I like Macho Bear. Because personally, I feel some form of distance between me and visitors. The image is of a guy filled with misery, hanging around a woman’s ankle, not wanting to let go, even though she no longer wants him. No one asks the inspiration behind it and most people see it as a cute or funny image, there’s another side to it.

All in all, my absolute favourtie piece is the Spectator shoe, this was my first design in my collection.

Or how about these?

Tetsuya Uenobe studied shoe design at the London College of Fashion after moving from Japan. After this little stint in London, Tetsuya moved back to Japan to set up his label ‘UENOBE’ in 2003, where he’s become a household name for his out-there creations.

You may think that these creations are more like pieces of art than ready-to-wear…and you’d be right because Tetsuya has exhibited his collection at the Open Gallery at Omotesando, Tokyo and contemporary art museum, Art Tower Mito – both of these exhibitions were recommendations by Hanae Mori, Japans most prominent and respected fashion designers AND the only female Japanese designer to have presented her collections on the London and Paris runways.

To check out more of Tetsuya’s work, then visit his site here. If you’re interested in finding out more, then contact me at sara@emergingfervour.com and I’ll put you in touch!