Interview with Yujia Hu

His name is Yujia Hu and lately the web is crazy for him and photos of his creations have been posted across the whole Internet.

What does he do? Sneaker-shaped sushi!

#1 Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you come to the idea of matching food and streetwear?

Well, I was born in China and I grew up in Milan. I started making sushi 10 years ago and I still do it in my family’s restaurant. Approximately a year ago, I started experimenting with new techniques with the ingredients I use daily, by representing in onigiri (Japanese rice triangle) iconic basketball characters. 

#2 When has your passion for sneakers born?

My passion is more oriented towards basket shoes, which are an important branch of sneaker collecting. The first pair of sneaker I reproduced were Nike Air Jordan. Inevitably, I’ve been then influenced by the kicks mania of latest years and started to reproduce also some of the most iconic sneaker viewable on social media. 

#3 In that regard, what is your favorite sneaker brand?

For me, Nike and adidas go hand in hand but it always depends on the models.

#4 What do you want to communicate with this project?

Well, making sushi is itself a form of art. What I do is simply a reinterpretation of this millennial tradition, by including in it lifestyle elements.

#5 You're a chef at a restaurant here in Milan, do you think your shoe-shi creations will ever be included in the menu?

I'm still thinking about this! For the moment, they’re not in the menu yet because to make one only the timing is pretty long, about 30 minutes. But I do occasionally offer them to my guests.

#6 What are your projects for the future?

Now I'm focusing on the present, I still have a lot to learn and definitely I want to improve my skills. I do not know where this will take me, but I do know that somewhere I will be lead.