From Traditional To Modern: Eriko Handcrafts Her Journey Into Footwear

Image Courtesy of RiE Amano

Words by Kristen Barwick

Japanese-born, Eriko Shimizu grew up in the heart of Tokyo near the infamous Shibuya and Harajuku, renowned for unique fashion and expressive street-culture. This early exposure was a daily inspiration to draw Eriko to pursue textile design and further a career in footwear design. Following a diverse career in Japan, combining her business adventures with an exciting stint at Onitsuka Tiger, she now finds herself starting a new chapter in Europe. 

Eriko describes Japan as a “culture that loves to reinvent and modify anything, from food to fashion”. Her love for handcraft and textile design is a reflection of this idea. Eriko has re-mastered the traditional stitching technique of Sashiko and experimented with application with textile, apparel and footwear. From collaborations featured in Tokyo Fashion Week and successful drops at Onitsuka Tiger, Eriko continues to shine with her perspective in the creative industry.

We caught up with the multitalented creative visionary, Eriko, to discuss what it’s like to be born and raised in Tokyo, her desire to start a business, her role as a colour material/footwear designer, and her plans for the future after the big move to Europe.

Tell us who you are as a creative person in a few words.

I am a diverse creative, but my roots lie in textile and fabric design. I am passionate about embroidery, printing and dying! I am a very tactile person, so for me, the first step in any design process is hand-crafting, it’s almost habitual - I find the most inspiration during this process. Although my roots lie in textiles, my career has enabled me to branch out into graphic design and footwear design. 

Having grown up in Tokyo, in what ways did it influence you as a creative?

I was born and raised in the heart of Tokyo and attended an all-girls high school there. During school I lacked interest in many of my classes, but I was always excited and engaged in art class. I loved it! The all-girls school was quite strict which in turn made me quite rebellious and creative. After hours, the school encouraged students to go straight home instead of roaming the city, but this is where the fashion culture was and I wanted to surround myself with it! My father has a creative profession as a script writer, so it's in my DNA to explore my creativity. 

On weekends I would walk the streets of Shibuya and Harajuku, these are two famous districts in Tokyo renowned for colourful street art, art galleries, youth fashion, and quirky vintage stores. Living in the heart of Tokyo since childhood fueled my passion for fashion and art, which ultimately led me to pursuing this at university.

Image Courtesy of RiE Amano

You studied Textile design at University. How did that experience shape your career?

Yes. I studied Textile design at Musashino Art University (MAU), but my years here were impacted most by all the external opportunities being a student gave me. I was introduced to the art of networking. 

I worked part-time throughout the university, to make some money, expand my perspective and experience the real-world industry. I often went to the opening parties of galleries to talk with fellow creatives. I also did many part-time jobs that exposed me to other creatives. Here I would show my work, get feedback, gain knowledge and then implement this back into my university work. I was more or less the only student to do this, but I felt it gave me a better perspective on my work and life. 

In Japan, it's important to connect through emotion and community. I became friends with store owners and customers because we emotionally connected over shared styles, art and interests. Networking came naturally from this. I must say, arguably the most valuable experience through networking came from being an assistant at a fashion brand formerly named HIRO (now @KIDILL). We reconnected 8 years later for a collaboration for Tokyo Fashion Week.

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In 2011 you started your brand Zaziquo. What drove you to start your own brand?

Zaziquo is my fashion brand which offers unique, personalised and hand-crafted products for buyers and brands. The idea for creating the brand came to me during university when I met a female textile artist called Misao Tsubaki, who focused on a traditional Japanese stitching technique named Sashiko. She inspired me and I decided to focus my work on a spin on this traditional stitching technique.

Once I had developed my craft, by chance, I met with a fashion buyer in Harajuku who came across my portfolio and invited me to her shop. The buyer said, “I like your style, could you make something to sell for us?” At the time, I couldn't make clothing because I didn't know how to yet, so I made small brooches and magazines. But to do this, I needed a brand, so I set up Zaziquo in 2011, during my last year at University. 

Tell me about one of your ‘wow’ moments during your own business. 

I had set up a solo exhibition of my work and Hiro, owner of Kidill, came to visit and he enjoyed it so much he wanted to collaborate with me 1 year later. His request was rather unique as he shared his desires and concept for the collaboration, but he was also open to my ideas. He gave me a couple of his brand's iconic denim jackets and denim pants and then said “do whatever you want”! He trusted my craft and gave me creative freedom. Hiro’s experiences with punk during his youth inspired a brand for rebels with a modern spirit.

The final pieces were very interesting. I, who focus on hand stitching and embroidery, is collaborating with a punk band. A bit bizarre? But punk style is all about ‘do it yourself’, using generic basic clothing and making lots of additions to personalise it - think of badged-up, studded leather jackets. Our final products which walked Tokyo Fashion Week were denim apparel customised by hand with embroidery.  

When reflecting on the collaboration, Hiro said “I think the Japanese Sashiko technique is very close to the DIY spirit in Punk fashion. Despite our different design languages, I thought Eriko’s attitude towards making clothes was “PUNK”, so I wanted to collaborate with her because I sympathised with her attitude.  I hope we will collaborate again in the future!”

In 2019 you joined Onitsuka as a Footwear Colour and Material designer. Why did you jump into the footwear industry?

Before this, I had my own brand Zaziquo which was beautiful as my products were created by hand. However, to scale it up was harder. I was looking for a new challenge and wanted to experience what it was like to create commercial products. 

Being Japanese, I was of course inspired by Onitsuka Tiger, but this brand opportunity was unexpected for me. As a freelancer, I was curious about footwear. I often got client work from interior design or accessories, and I started seeing potential in my skill set to expand into other products. By chance, a recruiter reached out to me with this footwear opportunity, I thought, this is perfect! 

My role in Onitsuka Tiger was amazing! I was responsible for NIPPON MADE, the premium product line made in Japan, where we collaborated with an experienced Japanese crafter. I was assigned special projects that needed unique materials because I am good at designing materials from scratch with printing, embroidering, weaving and knitting. I was responsible for producing conceptual prototypes, conducting market and trend research, and supporting the formulation of the seasonal colour cards. I also got to experience designing for the inline collection, like the upper for the SERRANO CL. At Onitsuka Tiger, I learned that despite having my craft, I’m very versatile, and I am proud to be. I thoroughly enjoyed incorporating my skill set into designing footwear.

Do you have any passions? Creative or not?

I recently moved to Denmark, a country that is visually and emotionally inspiring, in a contrasting manner compared to the buzz Tokyo centre.

In Denmark, the inspiration comes from the bigger picture, the mood and the vibes more than the object. Tokyo is more inspiring for culture, energy, people and product itself. My new-found passion is to explore Europe. I have already travelled across Germany and Spain and attended Paris Fashion Week. l truly love this accessibility to Europe, being surrounded by a new culture, new people, and new ways of life. I’m excited to do this more and expand my personal and professional network across Europe!

What are you working on at the moment?

After Onitsuka Tiger and since moving to Denmark I am enjoying the slower pace of life. This newfound environmental inspiration has given me the motivation and desire to reconnect with my personal experimentation work, which you see on my Instagram. I have started a new series of exploration questions ‘How far can I push the appearance of ready-made shoes by embroidery?’ It has attracted some attention, even Concept Kicks shared my work! I’m excited to continue this exploration and see what I can come up with!

What creative challenge are you looking to tackle next?

My next biggest challenge will be building a new career in Europe. During my Zaziquo years, I developed my style by textile. In Onitsuka, I learned the fundamentals of footwear / CAM design and
learned how exciting the footwear industry is. So in my next career, I would like to utilise both experiences. I would like to be a colour and material specialist, who can deliver work with a unique perspective here in the European footwear industry. On the side, I would love to continue exploring and sharing my craft through Zaziquo at my own pace.