Noritaka Tatehana is a shoe designer, whose collection pieces are held in admiration in the fashion industry, and also the art world. He is works are widely known to be loved by Lady Gaga and Daphne Guinness.
Noritaka was born into a family running a public bathhouse, Kabuki-yu, in Kabukicho, an entertainment district located in the center of Tokyo. He was raised in Kamakura, where he initially started making dresses and shoes, all self-taught, when he was 15. He studied Fine Arts and Sculpture at the Tokyo National University of the Arts, and later majored in dyeing and weaving. He also researched on gOiranh and the courtesans of high rank in Edo period (1600-mid 1800). His current collections show reference to the high platform clogs which were popularised during this period. In the meantime, he created kimonos and getas (Japanese clogs) using Yuzen, the traditional Japanese dyeing method.
In 2010, he established his own maison, gNORITAKA TATEHANAh. Every step of the manufacturing process of his shoes are handcrafted by the designer himself, each pair taking months to complete.
