Masaru Okuyama

Hong Kong-based Masaru Okuyama was working for a Japanese jewellery company before he discovered a passion for bespoke shoemaking. After knocking on the door of a shoemaking school in Tokyo, he soon became a protege of esteemed Japanese footwear craftsman, Chihiro Yamaguchi. “I started making shoes for my family and their friends in my own garage. In that period, I faced the difficulties of satisfying each individual’s requirements,” says Okuyama, who subsequently set up his own workshop in 2010. A purveyor of artisanal craftsmanship, Okuyama is known for his flair in perfecting the tiniest of details, and credit was given when he won the gold medal in the Custom-Made Shoes Category of the German International Shoemakers’ Competition in 2010. Okuyama’s bespoke service has a starting price of HK$38,000. www.masaruokuyama.com