Shoes for Stools: Artek + Hender Scheme Brings Japanese Leather Craft to Finnish Design Classics
The Tokyo leather label brings its shoemaking craft to Aalto furniture and everyday objects, with a collection that develops its own character through use.
A pair of Hender Scheme shoes and an Aalto stool tell stories that grow more interesting the longer they’re used. Materials change in color. Small marks become part of what makes an object yours. That appreciation for use is central to Artek + Hender Scheme, a collection bringing Japanese leatherwork to classic Finnish designs.
If you are new to Hender Scheme, their footwear is a great place to start. Ryo Kashiwazaki founded the brand in Tokyo in 2010. It became known for handmade leather versions of well-known sneakers. The Manual Industrial Products line recreates classic shapes using traditional shoemaking methods. Over time, the pale leather takes on a richer color, creases, and signs of daily habits. This change is key to Hender Scheme’s philosophy. The user helps shape how each item looks in the end.
Artek was founded in Helsinki in 1935 and has made Aino and Alvar Aalto’s designs part of daily life. Many of us Finns have grown up with their curved birch legs and round stool seats. These pieces are easy to move around, often found secondhand, and last for years. Both Finnish furniture and Japanese shoemaking share that relationship between an object and its owner.
The most playful part of the collaboration proves also the most creative: shoes for stools.
These small handmade leather covers fit around the ends of Aalto’s L-legs, bringing details from Hender Scheme’s shoes into furniture. They protect floors and make stools quieter to move. You can also buy sets for Stool 60 and E60 to give your stool a fresh look.
The collaborative Stool 60 takes the idea further by pairing the leather shoes with a leather-covered seat. Its familiar outline stays clear while the new surface introduces another material that changes with time. Birch and leather age at different speeds, so their relationship keeps shifting. A stool in a sunny room will gradually tell a different story than one used elsewhere.
Aino Aalto’s work is visible in the smaller pieces.
Her Riihitie planter’s organic shape inspires a leather clock, coasters, and a key holder.
The clock has a unique outline and slim hands, while the coasters bring those curves to the table. The key holder lets you carry that design with you every day. These pieces give Aino’s style a new context and size.
The collection also features leather-covered Aalto tables and a new take on the A330 pendant light. For the light, traditional wet forming is used with 3D-printed molds to shape the leather. This shows Hender Scheme’s NEW CRAFT approach, which mixes modern tools with artisan skills.
The connection has a personal history, too. Speaking to Wallpaper, Kashiwazaki traced the project back to a studio experiment: a leather version of the Uten.Silo wall organizer. A friend shared a photograph with Vitra and Artek, starting a conversation that eventually led to the collection. It’s a fitting beginning for a project built around curiosity about materials.
And for us at Hypend, that creates a natural link between culture, fashion, and Finnish design. We’re joining Artek for the local launch, bringing together creatives, designers, artists, and Helsinki’s fashion youth — stay tuned for more content on our social media channels.
The Artek + Hender Scheme launches globally on October 10, 2026, with availability at Artek Helsinki and Tokyo, Hender Scheme’s Sukima stores, and selected retailers worldwide. The collection is available while stock lasts.
Curated by team Hypend, in partnership with our friends at Artek.