During the humid, sticky summer season, indoor Japanese cloth sandals are here to offer a reprieve from the heat.
When it comes to Japanese cloth sandals, people may have the impression they are plain and made of old cloths. However, sandals made by Eriko Handa uses cloths with attractive colors and designs, such as bright pink and blue, flower prints and polka dots. Besides wearing them, you may feel like using them as an interior accessory to decorate your home.
"As they are worn indoors, I want people to try colors and designs they would never wear outside," Handa said.
The cloth-sandal artist showed me her production process. To knit a cloth sandal, she uses a tool prepared by fixing a part of a dish stand she bought at a 100-yen store to the table. She hooks polypropylenes ropes on to the tool and knits string-like materials made of cut jersey cloths by twisting them around the ropes.
The ropes are those used for packing, and the cotton jersey cloths are an elastic material used for T-shirts and other items.
"One of the advantages of this is that we can use familiar materials to make the sandals," Handa said.
The sandal strap is made by putting cotton batting for kilting into a cloth sewn into a tube shape. The strap is inserted into the sandal and tied, and then the slipper is completed. Even if you make a pair of sandals the same color, using different colors and designs for the straps can give the footwear a completely different style.
"I enjoy trying different combinations of colors and designs," she said.
If you want to make the sandals more comfortable to wear, try cutting up jersey cloths into wider strips and use them as strings for knitting the soles. Handa cuts jersey cloths into six to seven centimeter-wide pieces and pulls and stretches the pieces before knitting them. By doing that, a cushioning property is given to the footwear, helping them fit the shape of the sole of the foot.
A major attraction of Japanese sandals is a feeling of comfort and release as the wearers can spread their toes comfortably. If they have a good texture, you can feel more relaxed just by putting them on.
"If you put on cloth sandals after taking off your shoes, your feet will be relieved of tension and become more relaxed, which can help you feel more at ease," Handa said.
Half-sized sandals
"If your feet are tired, I recommend half-sized cloth sandals," Handa said.
The half-sized slippers are half the length of normal sandals. You put your toes into them while your heels touch the floor. When you walk, the lower edge of the sandal comes under the arch of your foot, which feels nice.
"Just the right amount of stimulation eases the fatigue of your feet," Handa said.
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