Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Men’s

First impression always do the sale – these loafers look pretty darn GOOD, and they stuck in my heart ever since we met.

Alert Charles Philip Shanghai Mens Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens
First impression always do the sale. I said that because these loafers look pretty darn GOOD, and they stuck in my heart ever since we met.

But it’s quite a peculiar idea for a Milan-born shoe designer to include an Asian city name in his eponymous brand name.

As it turned out, it wasn’t because all Charles Philip Shanghai shoes were made in Shanghai – in fact, they’re all made-in-China – but the founder and designer Charles Philip Pozzi loves Shanghai, the city which he refers to as the “New York in the Eighties” – gritty, full of possibility and ambitious. It was his way of showing appreciation for his favourite Asian municipality.

Wait. Taken aback by the word “Made-in-China”? Yes I did, but further study of the brand changed my mind – instead of manufactured by factories in mass quantity, the shoes are all manually made by the hands of their in-store shoe cobblers who can produce about 30 pairs of shoes per day.

“We did a test when we had buyers coming in our showroom to view the new made in Portugal range. We placed one made in China sample amongst them as well. Nobody had a clue. Nobody noticed any differences.” Great workmanship isn’t defined by location and ethnicity, so to speak?

Charles Phillip Shanghai 10 Corso Como Collaboration Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Charles Philip Shanghai X 10 Corso Como Edition.

Men Wearing Charles Philip Shanghai Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Charles Philip Shanghai Street Styles Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Carlos De Souza Charles Philip Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Important plus point: this is an affordable luxury brand. Priced between $100 and $200, they are definitely more accessible than Del Toro’s slippers.

They don’t seem to have many options on their official online store currently, and I don’t think they ship to Malaysia yet. But fret not! eBay, Revolve Clothing, Yoox and Google will always be there for us.

Charles Philip Shanghai Store Boutique Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Charles Philip Shanghai Store Boutique Alert: Charles Philip Shanghai Mens

Besides their flagship store in Shanghai, they’re also available at Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Lane Crawford, and Reebonz in Singapore.