FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

16th May 2022

 

MASON AND SMITH WINS THE WORLD SHOE SHINE CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

 

The World Shoe Shine Championships is an annual event organized by the leading authorities on classic shoes for men, Shoegazing and The Shoe Snob. The championship was held at The London Super Trunk Show on 7th May 2022. This shoe event gathers brands from all over the world to promote their craft. 

 

Every year, thousands of people attend the event to witness three major competitions – World Championships in Shoe Shining, World Championships in Shoe Patina, and the World Championships in Shoemaking.

 

This year, two Singaporeans from shoe company Mason And Smith, represented Singapore on the international stage and competed in 2 events , World Shoe Championships in Shoe Shining and World Championships in Shoe Patina. 

 

John Chung, a Singaporean who is the founder of Mason and Smith, was one of the finalists competing against 2 other contestants from France at this year’s World Championships in Shoe Patina. This is the second time John Chung has entered this international championship as a finalist and also the first time a Singaporean has entered into the finals of a new category.

John Chung the winner of the 2018 World Championships in Shoe Shining, successfully repeated this feat, landing another champion win with Ash Samsudin, partner at Mason and Smith, winning the competition.

For the World Shoe Shining Championship, the finalists were given one side of a new leather shoe to be polished in 20 minutes. The shoes are then judged based on how shiny it is, the overall color, beauty and finesse of the shoe. Ash Samsudin’s (from Mason and Smith) shine impressed the judges and beat the other finalists to arrive in 1st place, claiming a second win for Singapore thus far.

 

RULES OF THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COMPETITION

1. World Championship in Shoes Patina - The 3 finalist will work to paint a pair of crust leather Shoes from TLB Malloca Artista series to any desired colour. They are only allowed to use 5 selected color dyes from Saphir, 1 selected cream and 1 selected wax. Each contestant is given 5 hours to complete the patina from start to finish

 

2. World Championship in Shoeshining - The contestant are given 20 minutes to polish one side of a Loake 1880 Aldwych (Captoe oxford) in Mahogany in an attempt to produce the best shine possible. They are only allowed to bring their own shoe polishing cloth; everything else such as the wax and creams are provided for by Saphir. 

 

 

About Mason & Smith

 

John Chung, a shoe enthusiast, started Mason and Smith, a shoe store providing the retail of fine leather shoes, quality shoe/leather restoration and professional shoe shining services

 

Mason and Smith was started in 2013, when John Chung was 21.

John decided to forsake the opportunity of doing a degree and started his business because of a deep passion for shoes. Despite having parents who strongly disagreed with the decision, John was determined to build his company. John went on to apprentice and study more about shoe making under several renowned shoe makers in Hong Kong(2016)  and  Japan(2017) before coming back to Singapore to perfect the technique for quality shoe shine and shoe repair.

 

Elevating the art of shoe shining and shoe repair has always been at the heart of Mason and Smith. Apart from keeping the old craft  alive, Mason and Smith has also revolutionized the typical relationship between the shoe repair store and the clients, combining modern technology, innovative footwear solutions and social media to take the shoe experience to the next level. 

Having spent years cultivating and perfecting the art of shoe shining, John has created a brand with deep expertise on caring for shoes and other leather goods for both men and women. Nestled in the heart of Central Business District, the flagship store at Club street has now become the go to store for every shoe lover in and out of Singapore.

 

Mason & Smith is home to the World Champion in Shoe Shining 2018 and 2022 winners. 

For Press Queries

John Chung

E : info@masonandsmith.com

M : +65 92961462

A : 98 Club Street #02-02 Singapore 069467

Website : www.masonandsmith.com

Email : info@masonandsmith.com

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