Clothes by Subfusco's Joshua Scacheri. Discover Subfusco at www.subfusco.com. Shoes by Vein Wear. If you haven't explored www.veinwear.com, do it now.
Vein Store Awarded Best Fashion Retailer
I have to thank our customers for this one. We have been awarded Best Fashion Retailer in Brisbane for 2008. Congratulations to the other finalists. If you haven't visited the store yet, come find out why. For those that are curious, the awards are a 3 stage affair. Stage 1: Customer nominations. Stage 2: Business strategy analysis. Stage 3: Mystery shopping. It's all consumer based and independant.
Below is the article text:
A DEEP passion for design ing quality men's
shoes has seen Fortitude Valley reta iler and
wholesaler Vein Wear win the fashion
category at the City News Business Achiever
Awards last Friday night.
Up against a stel lar list of fina lists including
Bellissima on Edward, De Groen Jewellery,
Red Cord ial, Sex Kitten Boutique and
Tree oflife, Vein Wear took outtop honours
for its loyal following since it was established
in 2002.
Founded by head designer Christopher
McCallum and his wife Szuting McCallum
(pictured), Vein Wear shoes are sold in more
than 70 stores around Australia and New
Zealand.
Vein Wear also has a reta il store at T(8,
Fortitude Valley after Christopher was part
of the "amazing seven" young, emerging
designers to be offered his own boutique
- rent-free - in 2007.
Vein Wear also retails women's shoes
through the Kitty Croquet label and Oken
- a super luxe men's label.
Christopher credits his label's amazing
success to his team who, like himself, strives
to make the store a happy and beautiful
place to explore and play with shoes.
"Our vibe is awesome," he said.
"The business is going really well and we
are experiencing strong sales. We just love
what we do.
"We try to offer people amazing shoes that
are that little bit different and special."
Vein Wear has just opened a new design
workshop in Taipei and its shoes have
strutted catwalks from Australian Fashion
Week through to the Australian Fashion
Design Awards.
Annual Brisbane Magazine
This is a profile in the Brisbane Magazine. It's an annual publication that aims to take a snapshot of the characters that make up the best city in Australia.
Ok so they spelt my name wrong and I look like I've pulled a 36 hour shift in the warehouse, but the article isn't bad. You can read the full text below.
Chris McCallum,
A WELL-SHOD MAN IS ONE WHO TURNS HEADS.
AND WHILE MANY MEN QUESTION THEIR FEMALE
COUNTERPARTS' OBSESSION WITH HAVING SO
MANY SHOES, ONE THING THAT MOST AGREE ON IS
THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A LEAST ONE SMART PAIR
THAT GIVES YOU A CERTAIN CONFIDENCE. IT WAS
THIS MAGICAL FEELING THAT INSPIRED LOCAL
CONTEMPORARY COBBLER CHRIS MCCALLUM,
OWNER OF VEIN WEAR IN THE TCB ARCADE,
TO ABANDON HIS STUDIES IN LAW AND ACCOUNTING
AND PURSUE A CAREER IN SHOE DESIGN.
"I followed my girlfriend to Taiwan where I purchased an exciting pair of shoes," Chris recalls. "When I returned to Brisbane, all my friends were envious of the shoes and I wore them everywhere.
They made me feel confident, successful and tasteful l. It was the first time the power of fashion really hit me. Soon I didn't want to just experience it - I wanted to create the same feeling for others. So I set about starting the Vein Wear Men’s shoe label." Chris begins the creation of each of his shoes from scratch, sketching the origin al design as it leaps from his imagination, before working and reworking the concept into final drawings with graphite on paper. Then, with tender love and care, he meticulously crafts the prototype dress shoes by hand for a stunning finished product.
As the Vein Wear brand grew, it quickly gained a strong local following as discerning locals began to recognise the sheer quality that existed within each pair of shoes. By 2003, Chris had designed a full collection of shoes, which graced the shelves of a high-end fashion chain located throughout Australia. But when that store went bankrupt and the owners fled the country, Chris was left in an unfathomable position - all of his remaining stock in the stores was liquidated and he had lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not one to cower in the face of defeat, Chris chose to look forward optimistically to the future.
Consolidating his design range into a collection of shoes that was somewhat 'grittier' than previously, Chris focused on building his relationships within the fashion industry. Collaborating with some of the world's most iconic fashion labels, including Kenzo, Hugo Boss and Morrissey, Chris soon saw his Vein Wear collection of shoes grace the catwalks of fashion shows across Australia.
This exposure eventually paid off - in 2007 the TCB Arcade in the Brunswick Street Mall recognised Chris's talent and offered him a retail store in the building, rent-free for a year and with a free fit-out to Chris's own design. The past year has seen Vein Wear and its sister brand Kitty Croquet (run by Chris's wife Szuting) flourish in the TCB Arcade and gain an even stronger following locally.
But for Chris, this is only the beginning of what he wants to achieve in life. "There is so much that I want to learn," he shares. "I love reading, researching and critically observing. Travelling is a way of learning culture, people, lifestyles and history. I love it."
And while his growing success in the fashion industry allows him travel to many parts of the globe, for Chris there's no place like home. "I've been to many cities and most of them have a lot to offer - all are unique in some way or another. What makes a city great is the people - more specifically, the people you know. You can visit a great city and not know any locals and have an average experience. Or you can visit an average city and know some great locals and have a fantastic experience. What makes Brisbane the greatest and most unique city is that it is my city. All my family and friends are locals. I am a local. That's why I have the best experiences in Brisbane and why I choose to live here. No other city can compete. In that way, like the
finger print of my life, Brisbane is completely unique."
Courier Mail - Girl Meets Boy For Swap
...cont p42
As far as the guys are concerned,
Kallis believes it won't take long for
them to get used to the idea of
wearing brilliant colours in the
office - particularly if they know
it's fashionable.
"Men are starting to get a bit
more vain ... and are starting to
look after themselves a lot more
than they used to," she says.
"} think the guys who really want
to do it will do it and the others
might take a couple more years."
Brisbane menswear designer
Andrzej Pytel, of Size Designs, is in
the middle of designing his winter
2009 range, which will have a
distinct feminine edge.
The collection will feature
oversized shirts to the knee, which -
could double as dresses, and drop
'I think the guys who
really want to do it
will do it and the
others might take a
couple more years'
crutch jeans, which Pytel believes
will make it quite unisex.
"It won't be so feminine that
(men) will look like they're wearing
a Pucci dress," Pytel says.
"It will have masculinity through
colour choices or graphics."
Pytel will show the range at
Rosemount Australian Fashion
Week's trans-seasonal collections
in October.
"It's pushing the lines between
femininity and masculinity," he
says. "It's more casual/party wear,
or special event wear, but if you're
an architect you might wear it to
work."
Brisbane shoe designer Chris
McCallum of Vein, in the TCB
Arcade in Fortitude Valley, says
knee-high boots are becoming
a big trend among brave and
fashion-forward men.
McCallum makes two
styles - a knee high
which retails for $349
and a pair of rugged
sounding "oil riggers"
that stop half-way up
the calf and will set you
back $329.
"The people who do
buy them, love them,"
McCallum says.
"They usually have
a bit more flair and
care less about what
others think.
"When I started
shoes in Brisbane,
there were very few
(men) wearing
fashion or designed
shoes.
"Now there's
quite a lot, which is
really cool, but
there's a lot of guys
who haven't tasted
the feeling of
wearing a really
hot pair of shoes."
While it might
be more difficult to
convince the man in
your life to slip on a
pair of knee-highs, women
are quickly taking to
wearing lace-up brogues once
considered traditional
men's dress shoes.
Shoe designer Andrew
McDonald has released some
great new styles with chunky
stacked heels in his new
autumn/winter collection,
which is inspired by the
glamour era of the late 1950s
and early 1960s.
"Women's shoes are
going through a renaissance
of classic English tailoring,"
McDonald says.
Style Mini - People
Some socials pics. Pictured on the right is Vi To(Vein Store Shoe Guru) and me, Szuting McCallum (Kitty Croquet), Chris Stewart (Stylist), Carmen & George (George Wu).
As seen at the Vein Store Party in Brisbane. Didn't get invited? Become an Insider and live in Brisbane. It's easy.
Zoo Weekly
New to Zoo and new to you are the Vein Wear Elastic Wrap Lux Slip in Grey. You need to try these. These are seriously comfortable shoes.
Varsity Magazine
Those kooky kids at Varsity Magazine proove they have too much time on their hands. Featured here are the Vein Wear Triangular Elastic Loafers in Grey and the Laced Central Seam Shoe in Black.
Ralph Essentials
Wearing but the essentials, Kim Kardashian was asked which shoes would make her feel all warm inside. She fingered the Vein Wear Laced Central Seam Shoes (bottom left). Nuff said.
Men's Health - Unsuitable Water Polo Boots
As my friend Jeremy used to say with so much gusto, "Do you want rock hard abbadabbas?" You need Vein Wear Speed Stripe Ankle Boots (bottom left). They are guaranteed to strip away the kilos.
Caution: Boots not suitable for Water Polo.
FHM Essential Shoes
What does FHM think is Essential this season, you ask? Well, it's the Vein Wear Pleated Ankle Boot in Brown, of course. If you can manage to rip your eyes away from Megan Fox's...ah-hem, you'll find them at No.14. Also on the Vein Wear website.
David Campbell Well Wishes
Thanks Dave, keep up the smooth crooning.
I should also note that Vein Wear forces all artists, even the struggling and talented ones, to actually pay for their shoes. No free lunches here ;)
What Style Editors Wear
If you've ever read fashion magazines and wondered if they are a spurious in their "choices" in products to feature or recommend, I can tell you, your suspicions are well founded. It is no coincidence that brands featured in editorial sections are also found advertising elsewhere in the magazine.
In stark contrast to this practice I would like to highlight Fashion Trend Australia and commend them on their editorial integrity. Nikita Papas is the editor there. I can tell you that not only did I not pay for the editorial placement, but Nikita himself has since purchased a pair of those very shoes to sport around Melbourne. Good on you Mr Papas.
If you're looking for the shoes on the Vein Wear website, they are the Brogue Wrap-Laced Shoe (5387-L1).
Rockport Men Shoes | DMX Technology
One of the popular technologies for their Rockport men shoes is their DMX technology. The idea of this technology is to create a cushion effect for your feet by means of generating air flow dynamically while you are walking. This technology will provide your feet with comfort while walking along with your Rockport men shoes.
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