Designer Datuk Jimmy Choo has unveiled a one-off range of shoes in Japan made using materials and techniques native to the disaster-hit Fukushima area, in a bid to boost the profile of artisans there.
Choo was inspired to come up with the creations after visiting workshops in the area, which is still struggling to overcome the tsunami-sparked nuclear catastrophe that hit in 2011.
There he found traditional materials that have been made in the area for hundreds of years, such as Aizu cotton, super-fine Kawamata silk and the Aizu lacquerware, which he thought could perfectly complement six pairs of high heels.
Choo said he believed the kind of true craftsmanship he had seen in Fukushima had the power to help turn around the fortunes of a place where tens of thousands of people remain displaced because of radiation released from the crippled nuclear plant.
