Like a Preyer
This post is more for our oversea readers who don’t have the option of customizing shoes the way we do in Hong Kong. I’ve recently stumbled upon Shoes of Prey an Australian website that created bespoke shoes. Launched in Oct of last year, Shoes of Prey offers a range of designs for you to customize with various materials such as calfskin, python, fishskin or silk in a wide range of colours.
The actual ‘design’ process is rather primitive, very similar to painting an image using MS Paint. And while it may seem like there aren’t too many designs to choose from, apparently the current range offers more than 3 trillion combinations including flats and heel heights from a comfy 2 inch heel to the 4.5 inch heel. I hear they will be starting to do boots as well which will give the offerings an even larger range. It’s a bit on the pricey side at US$180 for ballet flats; US$230 for 1½ to 3½ inch heels and US$280 for 4 to 4½ inch heels. (You can easily get customize shoes at Island Beverly for about US$60.) Shoes of Prey do guarantee a full money return if you don’t like the shoes and if the fit is a bit off, they will pay for your shoes to be fixed in your city or make you a new pair. So for all you readers who don’t live in Hong Kong, it might be worth checking out this site if you are looking to create a pair of bespoke shoes.
PS. Yes I’m obviously still listening to Madonna
I've made with them before. The shoes itself are actually great (I've got lots of experience in custom made shoes I am ashamed to say), and I do prefer the pair I made with them. However, you do feel kind of cheated of your money coz they're actually made in Guangzhou, so it totally doesn't justify the expensive shipping that they charge (the exact same cost as it would if delivered to Oz) and the fact that I could really just have bought one from GZ myself.
Is that where the shoes are made? I was trying to figure it out from the website but couldn't. So I assume it's the same type of shoes as the ones you would get customised in malls like Island Beverly?