MADE FOR WALKING

Bespoke shoes by Xalf

Its moniker a combination of the founders’ names, XALF is the brainchild of Malaysians Xavier Mah, a marketing expert, and Alfred Hor, a young designer who in 2011 won the Malaysia Footwear Design Competition with the first shoe he ever designed. Teaming up to build a fashionable yet high-quality bespoke footwear label, the duo released their debut collection in 2012. Tapping the expertise of shoemakers in Malaysia with many decades’ experience in the craft, XALF’s design philosophy is to bridge timeless vintage styles with exciting, contemporary looks. Mah explains: “When we say classic we do not mean old, and when we say modern we do not mean futuristic — instead we are constantly looking for the perfect fusion of both worlds.” XALF’s shoes have been seen on the feet of celebrities such as supermodels Ai Tominaga and Devyn Abdullah, Hong Kong actress Charmaine Sheh, Singapore actress Sharon Au and Malaysian musician Mizz Nina, and the brand has also created exclusive footwear in collaboration with Bentley Motors. Catering to both women and men, with more than 50 types of colour-pattern leather and design styles to choose from, no two pair of shoes are the same at XALF. www.xalfdesign.com