Kate Middleton is an admirer, Princess Diana inspired his latest collection – who is Malaysian shoe designer Lewré Lew?

First the world had Jimmy Choo; now, Malaysia has produced another renowned shoe couturier – Lewré Lew.

While the former has dominated the footwear world for decades and made a name for himself in other accessories too, the latter has been successful in making his presence felt in more than 40 countries worldwide. What makes Lew’s journey more fascinating is that he wasn’t always in high fashion. The designer was once a rubber tapper in his youth.

In an exclusive interview with STYLE, we find out what motivated Lew to become a shoe designer, what it means to him, and what’s in store for the brand as it gains more global recognition.

Lew found his interest in designing shoes for women because many of his lady friends complained about their designer shoes not being comfortable enough.

“While I couldn’t go to any design school, I was fortunate enough to have met and learned from many great designers from countries such as Italy, Japan, Germany and Australia. On top of this list, however, is my own fellow Malaysian sifu dato Professor Jimmy Choo, from whom I got a chance to learn a lot,” he says.

Today, the brand – which is primarily known as Lewré Bespoke – boasts an impressive history of designing for royalty, celebrities, artists and world leaders. “Our products are 100 per cent custom-made and handcrafted by highly skilled artisans with over 40 years of shoemaking experience. Besides, with my own 35 years of shoe designing experience and vast exposure in the global market, we’re a serious player and professionally designing high-end ladies footwear with superior craftsmanship,” he says. “We believe we’ve built a certain name and trust in this beautiful profession I’m passionate about.”

Inception of Lewré Bespoke as a world-class brand

It’s never easy building a new brand from scratch. “I launched my label in 1997 after being in the market for 10 years designing shoes for different haute designers such as Ben De Lisi, John Rocha, Arkadius Weremczuk, Melinda Looi and Eric Way,” he recalls. “I feel really great when I can say without pause that my collections are so outstanding that the retail stores can’t resist carrying my label today. Most importantly, Jimmy Choo himself was present to cut the ribbon for it at the time. It was an honour for me.”

The ultimate moment for Lew came when the British Malaysia Chamber of Commerce (BMCC) invited him to attend and design six pairs of shoes and two matching clutches for Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, during her visit to the country in 2012. These were later presented to her as national gifts by the then king and queen of Malaysia at the National Palace.

“Just after this, my label started appearing in the top media outlets from the Western world. I felt honoured,” he says. “I also got a call to design a single piece and a matching clutch for the first lady of China, Madame Peng Liyuan as a national gift to mark the 40th anniversary of China-Malaysia relations.”