The Man Who Makes Hender Scheme's $1,000 "Air Jordans" Isn't Getting Sued by Nike

From "Honest Unboxings" to veg-tanned renderings of your favorite silhouettes, we've written about Hender Scheme's homage sneakers at great length, but one stone we've yet to turn is an interview with the man behind the reinterpretations.

Highsnobiety has done just that, sitting down with founder Ryo Kashiwazaki to pick his brain about the popular — and very expensive — kicks. "I design the things I want and things I like," Kashiwazaki said.

When it comes to Hender Scheme's sneakers, the things that Kashiwazaki wants and likes have caused a bit of a schism throughout the sneaker community. Some see them as genius reworks of famous shoes that would've never been produced by the brands themselves, while others have written them off as overpriced replicas. But what do the brands that Hender Scheme is paying homage to have to say about the whole thing?

"I can explain for them, but I don't know what they think [about it]. For this art project, the idea was to reproduce the manual industrial projects in a handmade way, using leather to show the different types of styles that people can see on the same product. It's up for them to compare," Kashiwazaki said.

According to Kashiwazaki, he's yet to hear from any of the brands directly, and Highsnobiety notes that his emphasis on labeling the sneakers an "art project" may be a way to avoid legal ramifications.