2Threads Issue #178

Vein Wear featured in 2Threads Issue #178.

2Threads is a great social, fashion, people conglomerate network. Issue #178 feature some stunning pics from Australia Day pool parties. It makes for good viewing! Subscribe to the 2Threads update if you haven't already.

Watch To See Roberta Flack Competition Winner

Haha...Ok so Roberta Flack's record company wasn't happy about me using her music to give away tickets to the concert. They have taken down the draw video.

Jose Carreras' people are a little less tight, thankfully.

So with a little less fanfare...the winner of the Roberta Flack Tickets...is...drum roll...Megan Cooper!!!

Yay! Congratulations :)

Watch To See Jose Carreras Competition Winner

Sunday Mail - My Town

This story was in the Sunday Mail this week. Just a brief profile of what someone's life is like day to day. I liked it. I really enjoy the simple things...

Here is the article in full:

CHRIS MCCALLUM,
27, OWNER AND
HEAD DESIGNER
VEIN SHOES,
FORTITUDE VALLEY

When he's finished with feet
for the working week, Chris
gets on his bike to unwind.

* AT WORK

I love being my own boss and
being able to make whatever I
wish to. The creative freedom
to me is a massive drawcard.
Apart from sifting through
spam emails, I draw shoes. I
talk with people in the
workshop about production,
source materials and leathers,
talk to wholesale customers
and our retail staff about
feedback and sales. I also do
graphic design for the website
and brochures. I actually
started a shoe wholesale
company, which turned into a
shoe design, production,
wholesale and retail company.

* AT HOME

I was raised at The Gap and
went to Hilder Rd Primary
School, Brisbane Grammar and
the University of Queensland
where I started to study law and
commerce. I now live in Bardon
in the house my grandmother
built in the 1950s. I live with my
wife, Szuting, and the
occasional stray cat or two. The
house is bigger than it looks
and has a huge yard, which is
great for mowing in summer.
The lounge room is where I
spend most of my time. It is
very spacious and very
relaxing. We have casual dining
there, conversation, TV, and I
love the cool breezes and green
views.

* AT PLAY

I play soccer and futsal (indoor
soccer), ride my bike up Mount
Coot-tha and hang out in the
Valley. Kim Lam in Chinatown is
my favourite place to eat. I eat
there three times a week. It's
cheap, tasty, friendly and
unpretentious which is a bonus.
The shredded steak in special
sauce is a winner, closely
followed by the salt-and-pepper
squid, san tong chicken
and the special beef noodle
soup. I hang out in TCB in the
Valley on the weekends which
is where our store is located, I
enjoy a coffee from Gian and
love a good beer and steak at
the RG (Royal George hotel). I
ride two to three times a week,
usually up to Mount Coot-tha
just for relaxation and exercise,
but once a week I try to do an
adventure ride to see how long
it takes to get to a different
location. I'm also interested in
economics and government
fiscal policy at the moment.

Michelle Collins

Burnie Advocates Vein Shoes

The Burnie Advocate ran this last week. Burnie is in Tasmania.

At Burnie you can see Little Penguins in their natural habitat at the Little Penguin Observation Centre, located at Parsonage Point, Burnie. Prepare to be surprised.... right next to the bustling Burnie CBD is a colony of little penguins going about their lives right before your eyes. The Observation Centre lets you experience these fascinating birds firsthand, any time of the day or night. Nice.

JetStar In Flight Magazine

A great little article appeared this month in JetStar's In-Flight Magazine. It's all about how awesome the Fortitude Valley is for fashion. The Valley is arguably the best area in Australia to shop for local designers and cutting edge fashion. That's the reason we opened our store there...to rub shoulders with the greats.

Discerning Bride Magazine - Always Habit Shoot

Discerning Bride Magazine

This article appeared in the latest issue of Discerning Bride. It is interesting, and jumps the gun a little bit in releasing details about our new workshop's capabilities. I am certainly interested in making men's shoes for weddings.

It's not quite as simple as the article makes out, so to anyone interested I would recommend giving me as much time as possible...somewhere in the vacinity of 4 months would make the process extremely comfortable. Less than that is possible but it adds pressure and the chance that unforeseen problems could be a headache.

Here is the article as printed:

Until recently the concept of having
shoes created exclusively for
one man was outside the realm
of possibility in Queensland. No
longer. The arrival of Vein Wear, Christopher
McCallum's iconic range of handcrafted
shoes, has allowed fashion savvy gentlemen to
discover the pleasure of wearing a pair of shoes
which express and embody their personality.

At Vein Wear, each design is sketched, and
then worked and re-worked into final drawings
of graphite on paper. A prototype shoe is then
meticulously hand-crafted. The final results are
regularly seen on catwalks, in boardrooms and
down the aisle. Vein Wear's limited collections
are customised versions of current or recent
styles, and made to order within a few weeks.

Completely orginal shoes - where every
element is decided by the wearer - can
be taken from initial concept to wardrobe
in just two months. With prices starting
at $399 (customised shoes) and around
$1000 (for original shoes - the price halves
for repeats of the style for groomsmen, etc),
Vein Wear shoes are an affordable luxury.

Depending on availability, grooms can
choose between hundreds of swatches,
making the chances of creating their dream
shoe very high, according to Christopher.

And the difference is in the detail.
Vein Wear's laser-etched leather soles can
feature any designs, words or dates, while
the waist at the sole, which curves into the
arch of the foot, means a lasting message can
be etched in a place protected from wear.

While black is the obvious choice for
shoes complementing a classic wedding
suit, Vein Wear offers an awe-inspiring
range of colours, textures, and finishes.

"We will consider your wedding style, but a
groom's shoes are an opportunity to express his
personality without overshadowing the bride,"
Christopher says. "Some people even supply
their own leather bought during world travels
- we can turn almost any good quality leather
into a one-off shoe that will last a lifetime
and make a wedding outfit more special."

Knock-offs ???

In the spirit of libel speech let me preface that what I am writing in this post is purely "my opinion" and not presented as "fact"...

A lot of people have been coming to tell me, outraged, that there is a store knocking off some of my designs. This is not uncommon, almost expected, especially by stores of the ilk of the now deceased ShoeBiz and Co.

However even I was surprised and a little disappointed to see a fellow local Fortitude Valley store in James St, called Milu, apparently doing the dirty. Not just because I have a sense of Valley camaraderie (obviously not real), but because Milu masquerades as a "high end" and "designer" store. After all, would you buy a pair of shoes at "James Street" prices if you knew they were really over-priced frauds?

In typical knock-off fashion, they are made from inferior materials and poor construction. In the words of Mr Hinch..."shame, shame, shame".

Chris Worfold Art

Chris was at our latest photo shoot and has generously dripped some of his creative sweat into a few collage pieces for our campaign main imagery. Thanks :)