Inga Radikainen

Shoemaker

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Layers of colourful leather

Inga uses complex forms and details
She creates her pieces with vibrant layers
She has won international awards for her creations

Inga Radikainen has over a decade of experience in leather design and wearable fashion. She layers colourful leather and creates beautiful shoes and accessories that are timeless in style. Her works are all handmade, starting out with her picking up a shoe last and visualizing the final piece, as well as the whole production process. Skilfully playing with colours, layers, and cuts, she creates spatial effects on her pieces. Her passion for this craft has won her several awards; in Moscow, Hong Kong, St. Petersburg, and locally. Currently she is one of the few craftspeople in Estonia who masters the technical skills of shoe making and many turn to her for help and advice.

Interview

What techniques or styles do you use?
I like mixing and combining, by bringing in patterns and smooth areas in my works. I design shoe moulds to make the shoes more comfortable and unique. Women like their shoes to appear smaller, I achieve that through shaping the moulds.
How is your work linked to your region?
In some of my products I use fish leather made out of pike or salmon skin. These are leftover products from local fish manufacturers and suppliers. It’s a unique and scarce material but has a really nice effect and texture.
What types of leather do you work with?
Traditional leathers from bison, cow, goat and lamb. Some of the more exclusive leathers I use are from local fish, peacock, frogs, lizards, amongst others. Once someone asked me what are the pockets made out of and I replied “local pike “– we both laughed!
What is surprising about your work?
Sometimes it’s hard to know if the leather is real. Modern factories can produce a lookalike material and spray leather scent on them. Therefore, smelling leather won't tell you if the leather is real, only by checking the underside of the material.

Inga Radikainen is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2005