FOR the past five years, local luxury bespoke footwear brand Xalf has been trailblazing the fashion scene with its unique and edgy shoes for women.
Recently, the brand, founded by entrepreneur duo Xavier Mah and Alfred Hor, took one more step forward by rolling its first footwear line for men, Xalf Homme.
“All this while, Hor and I have been focusing on our female clients — taking time to carefully understand the bespoke trend among women and to cater to their needs.
“However, along the way, we’ve had men encouraging us to make men’s shoes.
“Following the success of Xtraordinary (a capsule collection for Bentley Kuala Lumpur), which was our first attempt in making men’s shoes, we believe that we are ready to take it one step further. That was how Xalf Homme was born — to provide gentlemen with bespoke footwear essentials,” says Mah.
TRUE
Xalf Homme’s inaugural collection, True, is designed with the urban man in mind. As in its ladies’ collection, the brand upholds the tradition of shoemaking in this collection with each pair meticulously handcrafted by skilled craftsmen.
True takes classic styles and infuses them with contemporary elements which appeal to modern men who prioritise comfortable yet unique and trendy footwear, and want to stand out.
The collection consists of eight designs, featuring solid colours and clean silhouettes that are ideal for casual or white-tie occasions.
In terms of materials, True uses calf leather, fully-padded lambskin lining and leather soles, says Hor.
“We spent eight months testing and improving the prototype for each design. For this collection, we tried out different leather types to find the ones most suitable to build sturdy and comfortable shoes of the finest quality.
For details, visit www.xalfdesign.com