A shoe for all seasons

Delicate embroidery and luxury Kimono fabrics, splashed in rich golden materials, were carefully sourced from small villages, tucked away in the depths of Japan, as part of shoe designer, Hetty Rose's next collection.

With a desire to create something different and unique, the designer found unusual fabrics and used them to create key significant pieces in strong, bold designs as part of her new collection.

Hetty said: 'It's much harder to find the highly detailed fabrics I've used in this collection and there is much more work involved in working with these heavier fabrics, but I really wanted to show that Japan has something more to offer than the traditional Asian fabrics we often see.'

Most of the designing was done when the designer was in Japan earlier this year, travelling between the three main cities sourcing fabrics. While travelling on the fast trains, she was inspired by the strong architecture, temples and huge skyscrapers.

The collection sees a move away from feminine, very high heeled shoes to more chunky shoes with heavy buckles. While the fabrics are still feminine, the shoes are distinctly for people who want to stand out from the crowd.

As the shoe designer reaches her third season, she has taken on board requests from regular clients who wanted more wearable everyday shoes with lower heels. So this season, three pairs of flat shoes have been added to the collection, as well as an assortment of lower heeled shoes.

The collection shows a move towards trans-seasonal shoes with less sandals and courts, instead the designs are for all seasons. 'If the style is versatile and the shoes have been made to measure, in theory the shoes will be wearable forever' Hetty added.