H? Katsukawa from Tokyo for SS12

What do you look for in a pair of shoes? For Eiichi Katsukawa shoes should be enjoyed as well as loved. In addition to being well made, they should bring a smile to the face of the wearer and the people who encounter them throughout the day. His last few collections of bold designs have certainly done just that. Under the moniker H? Katsukawa from Tokyo, Katsukawa makes hand made, eye poppingly colourful and patterned brogues, along with wonderfully textured distressed Nibe leather brogues from his studio in Tokyo. From the moment I encountered his stand at Pitti 78, his leather creations never fail to raise a wry smile in addition to causing a lustful glint my eyes. Now, I might have missed out on Pitti this season but our occasional intrepid menswear reporter Susie was on hand to take a closer look at his SS12 collection.

With each passing season, Katsukawa evolves his carefully crafted collection slowly. For SS12, old favourites including the wonderfully distressed Nibe leather brogues remain but are developed and then joined with an injection of print and colour. Let me introduce you to his latest collection of beautiful, hand crafted designs...

Silk printed checked brogue.

Using a traditional last and cloth that is used for tents for the French military, Eiichi then infiltrates wax in to the material by hand to create a stunning effect.

The above shoes are Eiichi's homage to Tokyo street fashion of the 1990's. He was a high school student during this time and these are his reimagination of those care free times.

All images thanks to Susie.

"I express the avant-garde style as new viewpoints and the day-to-dayness as enjoyments by creating a form of shoes. And the essence of that form is intangible love."

Eiichi Katsukawa on his leather creations.