This Is Not an Exquisitely Artisanal, Japanese-Made, All-Leather Vans Skate Sneaker
Hender Scheme, the Japanese label best-known for its veg-tanned leather remixes of famous sneakers, may have fallen out of greater Western fashion consciousness but never stopped doing its thing. Indeed, for its typically asynchronous Winter/Spring 2025 collection, Hender Scheme has transmuted the humble Vans Half-Cab into a gorgeous leather lace-up.
There was a moment where Hender Scheme's artisanal footwear homages, ranging in style from Reebok Club C to Clarks Wallabee, were all the rage in the West.
Hender Scheme's all-leather Jordan 4 "sneaker" was an especially salient flashpoint, driving much discourse with its nearly four-figure price tag (retail in Japan was closer to $500 whereas, over here, the shoe cost upwards of $1,000 due to factors like import and custom fees).
What a lot of folks misunderstood, not even by their own fault, is that Hender Scheme doesn't merely copy famous sneakers. It handsews familiar shapes cut from supple, substantial cowhide to leather soles more typically utilized for dress shoes than sneakers.
As such, Hender Scheme's knowing reproductions are sneakers in style only. They are shoes designed to break in and age like a leather boot or derby, even though they look like famous basketball or skate kicks.
It's a cute gimmick, one that belies the depth of Hender Scheme's oeuvre. Beyond an impressive selection of in-line footwear silhouttes, the brand also produces an abundance of sumptuous leather-first home goods and accessories that range from gloves to shrink-wrapped socks that intentionally recall condoms. Yes, for real — they're appropriately named "safe sox."
The breadth and consistent craft inherent to Hender Scheme's output has solidified it as a respectable maker in Japan, even while the gimmick of its "Hommage" [sic] footwear line wore thin overseas.
I've noticed several tastemaking boutiques beginning to stock up on its nifty doodads, though, so perhaps a reassessment is in order. If Winter/Spring 2025 is your entry into the Hender Scheme-iverse, well, don't let the Half-Cab-inspired shoe color your judgement too much.
Like, it's cool, but there's also so much more, like a series of cool subversions of the German Army Trainer, a sneaker that in turn inspired adidas' red-hot Samba. A hook-and-loop iteration is nice enough but how 'bout that quirked-up slip-on?
Though the Hender Scheme effect may have waned in a broad sense, you can still see its effect on newer shoes, like New Balance's beautifully beige dad shoes.
Just goes to show how ahead of the curve the Japanese maker was after all. And now that we all know that, it's time to appreciate the goodness that lays beyond.
