Tansu was the fourth in the Made f Japan series for Onitsuka Tiger. We found and collaborated with a team of 9th generation traditional Japanese cabinet makers to realize this vision. The craftsmanship and attention to detail, evident in the elaborate opening and locking mechanisms, hidden compartments and secret draws, made this piece truly unique and gave us a great story to tell.
The sneaker’s global tour was a resounding success. At stores and trade fairs, sneaker fans tried to unlock the secret compartments to claim the treasures within. Intrigued, people went on-line to discover more. Unique visits to onitsukatiger.com grew 125%, while total traffic saw a massive increase of 460%. Interest in the collection went up 20%, direct traffic (word of mouth) increased 40%, and referral traffic jumped 152%. The story of the shoe spread around the world, through blogs, tweets, magazines, showing that sometimes, to build something beautiful, even in a virtual world, you need the tools of a traditional craftsman.