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."