Since its inception in 2010, Hender Scheme has been known to do things differently. Helmed by Japanese designer Ryo Kashiwazaki, the cult brand has gained a cult following on home turf and far beyond with its hand-crafted leather renditions of classic sneaker designs and accessories. The two Hender Scheme retail spaces in Tokyo reflect the brand’s core values, featuring an understated, pure aesthetic which signals its high-standard artisanal craft and meticulous product focus. As of this weekend, opposite its existing store in the leafy Ebisu district of the Japanese capital, Hender Scheme has inaugurated a brand new retail concept that’s aptly called circulation_. The retail space has been developed in collaboration with the brand’s parent company Laicos, and in line with its eponymous sustainability and waste reduction programme, it mainly focuses on shoe repairs.
Sitting right below a late night bar, the store occupies a compact former garage which has been stripped and redeveloped, but retaining much of the building’s original architectural features at the same time. The industrial space boasts a timber-clad workspace, or laboratory in Hender Scheme parlance, inserted which has sliding doors, allowing entrance and revealing its built-in sales counter. The front section sees tiered metal trolleys on either side of the entrance laden with shoes, in addition to a potted plant, in an industrial blue bin, and freshly cut greens in a leather Hender Scheme vase. The the actual workspace of the circulation_ laboratory is cordoned off by a PVC strip curtain, and is furnished with metal trolleys, moveable machinery and storage units. As said, the new circulation_ store is all about repairs, offering an elaborate repair menu for shoes, sneakers, bags and accessories, but it also sells second hand items. © superfuture.com
circulation_
2-14-3 Ebisu (Ebisu)
Tokyo 150-0013
Telephone +81 3 64503125
Mon 2pm-8pm
Fri-Sun 2pm-8pm
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