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2009

Shapeshifters: Kei Kagami

"I have a fascination for the space between the heel and the floor."

The Japanese Kei Kagami (b.1965) designs shoes and clothes. Since 2001 he presents his shoe line inspired by architecture.

Kei Kagami inside the Church — photography Ernst Moritz

Freelance fashion journalist Georgette Koning interviewed Kei Kagami for SHAPE magazine, which was produced to accompany Arnhem Mode Biennale 2009 and of which Koning was Editor-in-Chief.

What made you decide to design shoes?
The moment I saw the shoes of Tokio Kumagai for the first time. I was 17 and suddenly shoes made sense to me and became meaningful. Right then I knew, one day I would design shoes. In 2000 I grabbed the opportunity when I was invited to show in Montenegro. Since then I design shoes.

  1. You studied architecture. What is relation between fashion and architecture?
    There are a lot of similarities in the way of thinking, the way in which you transform a second dimensional drawing into a spatial object. In a way both disciplines are means of protecting and covering the human body. I do try to keep my shoe designs separated from my architecture though, because I love both of them so much. But lets stop talking about it, because I can go on about this for hours. The most important parallel is that both disciplines work with structures.

  2. What do you find more interesting, inventing a new shoe construction or creating a new form?
    I equally like both processes and I think construction and form have to complement each other. A new construction can lead to a new form, and the other way around.

  3. Which part of the shoe is most interesting?
    I have always had a fascination for the space between the heel and the floor. As a result I often design heels. Not because I love heels that much, but because of the space.

  4. Can you be more innovative in shoes than in clothing?
    Yes. I am a fashion designer by trade who sells clothing and makes a living out of it. I don’t necessarily have to sell my shoes. They don’t have to be commercial and that is one of the reasons why I can take my creativity to the extreme when designing. It makes them innovative and makes for a powerful appearance.

  5. Your shoes look fairytale-like. What gives them that unearthly character?
    I don’t know, I am not consciously trying to create something unearthly or new. It just happens. With my designs I try to express my feelings in the most honest way, especially with my shoes.