While made-to-measure shoes are offered by luxury brands ranging from Ferragamo to Ermenegildo Zegna, the demand for bespoke shoes in Hong Kong is growing as men struggle to find the perfect fit.
'Many of the ready-to-wear lines from Europe are made for the western foot,' says Alan See, founder of gentlemen's boutique, The Armoury. 'While Asian men have a different shape which tends to be wider in the front and narrow in the back.'
Unlike ready-to-wear styles, every pair of bespoke shoes is unique to each customer and is made by hand from start to finish. First-time customers can expect the initial consultation to last around an hour and to include several steps, such as detailed measurements of the feet as well as numerous drawings.
When it comes to choosing the style, the majority of shops offer a selection of ready-made samples for inspiration. Customers can also supply photographs or styles that they want copied. Fabric options are extensive and can range from classic leathers such as calfskin and lambskin, to more exotic skins like crocodile, ostrich, lizard and shark. As the service is entirely customizable, customers can be specific and choose details such as aged patinas which give the shoe a more worn-in look, embossing or even the colour of the laces.
Philip Cheng, manager of Maylin Shoe Company, advises customers to feel the leather before they make a decision on what fabric to use. 'You can tell if leather is good quality just by the touch. It shouldn't be too thick or too stiff, otherwise it won't fit well.'
After the initial consultation, the customer's measurements are sent to the workshop where artisans craft a wooden last from which they then make a leather upper or canvas mock-up of the shoe. 'The last is made from a block of wood, carved into the same shape as the foot,' says See.
The majority of shoemakers in Hong Kong boast their own operations, so the next fitting can happen anywhere between one to three months. The Armoury meanwhile, offers a service by British brand Gaziano & Girling, whose workshops are based in Northamptonshire, England. The owners come to Hong Kong only three times a year to fit their customers, so the wait time can range from three to six months. After the second fitting, things move faster and the completed shoe usually comes one to two months later. Any orders thereafter are much quicker.