In photo above: Chie Mihara lights up your day between VRENI BLUE and QUIRITA ORANGE incredible sandals, (for many more ideas, styles and features, enjoy visiting the dreamy Chie Mihara official website and shop).
In the middle of a global crisis which seems largely affecting our lives and everyday routines, we decide to bring to you at home as much meaningful content as possible-regarding design, designers and related fields. We are all in this together, we want to communicate to you exciting news from key people in the design industry and spread the message to all of you who are profoundly interested in design, crafts, technology, innovation and society.
Shoe and accessories designer Chie Mihara’s work has being highly appraised by the press and the audience over the last decade, and not in vain. Her unique vision and insatiable creativity in a design field that masters and combines high end traditional craftsmanship, pioneering technologies and impressive design flair- established Chie Mihara as a distinctive representative of 21st century shoe design and probably one of the most important female designers of her generation.
In her biographical note, Chie Mihara was born and raised in Brazil to Japanese parents. She traces her interest in art back to childhood and the character sketches she did, inspired by Japanese manga magazines her father brought home to her. As a teen her focus shifted to fashion, coinciding with a wave of Japanese designers, such as Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake, making an impact on the world fashion scene. At her father’s insistence, Chie moved to Japan to study fashion, later getting her first job with well-known designer Junko Koshino. Wanting to broaden her artistic development, Chie moved to New York, where she studied fashion and sculpture. Combining the two disciplines, she started designing women’s shoes with prestigious shoe designers in the US and France. Always believing she had a personal story to tell as an artist, she eventually struck out on her own, moving to the land known for producing some of the highest quality shoes in the world—Spain. There she fashioned high-quality shoes with a fun, funky and fresh aesthetic and grew her company into one of the world’s most recognized brands in women’s footwear.
Bellow: Smells like Spring Spirit… the beautiful TALIVO CURRY sandal.
We encountered Chie in this short interview bellow where we tend to reveal some key aspects of Chie’s design (His)Story and talent:
All4design-Design4all: Brazil and Japan remain two capital forces in design the last decades, both routed in your heritage. How these two schools-legacies influenced your work until now?
Chie Mihara: I would say that I have the happy, light and feminine side of Brazil. The attention to details and uniqueness from Japan.
A4D-D4A: Eco-consciousness and Sustainability, the two notions that relate to every designer's/maker's/creative's business nowadays. Do you feel concerned as a brand, do you feel you need to adjust accordingly your supply chain, your resources and eventually your creative process?
C.M.: It’s not my focus, we in the factory already use recycled materials for insoles, but then it is compacted with glues...Shoes need to be durable and strong. I don’t believe in a true eco shoe, because it has all types of elements like glues and plastics that can not be all eco. Neither are the synthetics eco. For clothing it's much easier, but on shoes it is not. Some brands use eco leather, I don’t know what they mean by eco leather, it's not leather at all, it's plastic!
A4D-D4A: Devices, apps, smart technologies and AI: accessories' designers start to apply them directly to the final product, a fact we acknowledged on the runway and on the shelves when it comes to shoes and bags especially. Are you excited about new, digital technologies as a designer and craftswoman?
C.M.: Yeah! Sure! I use apps to easily play around and experiment with shapes and colors. It’s really useful to get ideas. But in the end, pencil and paper are what I use to express my ideas, as I don't need to make any presentation to anyone.
A4D-D4A: What have you discovered lately that got you really enthusiastic about?( a maker, a building, an object, an exhibition, an app, a garment et al.)
C.M.: Photography! I always liked it, but since I acquired i-phones, I stopped using my reflex camera (wasn’t even digital!). But now I’m very interested to go back and buy a very good reflex camera and start shooting again!
A4D-D4A: What is your single piece of advice to a young talent who is starting up as a shoe/accessory designer?
C.M.: First, be very honest and ask yourself the question: do I have a story to tell? It's not about a seasonal inspiration, but your personal story to tell others. Because that will define what your brand is about. Design is communication. It has to communicate with others. You've got to be very passionate about what you do, not just “I'm a shoe addict!” Because you are not making shoes for yourself. Lastly, start with someone that can help you, either an associate or a collaborator to do the business side, so you can focus on design, fitting and promotional image.
We thank and salute Chie for her bright intervention, one of many more planned out in our blog the following months. Stay tuned!
For Chie Mihara FCBK Official page please click here.
Chie Mihara Instagram account is here.
If you are interested to find out more of Chie’s inspiring design journey and ventures, please check this ever so interesting episode on Chie in Scientology network: MEET A SCIENTOLOGIST-STEPS OUT IN STYLE WITH CHIE MIHARA. It broadcasts in the US on DIRECTV Channel 320 and can be streamed at scientology.tv in 17 languages.
Stay safe - We Will be Back🙌
A4D-D4A
