Walking the talk

FOR four years, Zaid Arif sold shoes from a humble stall in Uptown Danau Kota, getting his stock from local suppliers. Every so often, customers would comment about the lack of good designs, which later prompted Zaid to start actively contributing to the Malaysian footwear industry with his brand Zeve Shoes in 2015.
With a nod towards the classic yet evergreen Italian leather footwear designs, Zaid wanted to showcase similarly designed quality shoes but at a mid-range price to appeal to those who love quality leather shoes but were unable to afford branded ones.
Why did you want to produce your own leather footwear?
If you look at the footwear market in Malaysia, for the same quality and design that we are selling here in Zeve Shoes, you would need to fork out approximately RM600 to RM1,200.
After doing some market research, I saw a gap and decided to try and fill it with our first collection. The main reason is that Italian designed shoes sold here are expensive.
I wanted Zeve Shoes to fill in the gap between high street brands like Zara and high end Italian brands, and also contribute to the local footwear industry instead of just becoming another seller. All footwear in Zeve Shoes are designed by me.
How do you ensure the designs you create would appeal to the market in Malaysia?
I never know for certain if the designs would sell well, to be honest. One of our advantages compared to other bigger brands is we have our own manufacturing plant, which we are very close to in terms of relationship. Hence, we are able to make small quantities for samples.
If say, after designing a particular pair of shoes and producing the samples, with the power of the internet we can ask our followers whether or not they like it. If the design gets positive feedback, we will increase the stock.
But based on my experience since I began selling shoes in Uptown Danau Kota, usually the designs that I feel are amazing are not popular with my customers. That is why, I cannot rely on my opinions fully.
At which point in your life did you begin having an interest in having a good style and appreciating good quality shoes?
I believe it was after I graduated from university. Zeve Shoes target men aged 25 to 35. Between the ages 20 to 25, most men would have spent a fair amount of money on high street brands. After several years of working, they want more than just a high street brand in terms of quality, yet the high end brands would be too high of a price point.
I too was going through the same “problem” as those men. I partnered with Mr Bono – a tailor – to open our store in Etiqa Twins because I knew that shoes like these needed to be paired with a smart style. Mr Bono used to be a customer back when I sold shoes in Uptown Danau Kota. He asked me to partner with him and in return, I could wear his suits and market them whenever I photographed my shoes. The image for this “gentleman look” was already established as I started this brand, so I had to dress smartly even if it wasn’t my initial choice.
What sort of leather do you use for Zeve Shoes?
There are many, but the one we use most commonly is calf leather. But even with calf leather, there are many kinds like nubuck, suede and calf cracking oil (CCO) leather. We have a local supplier for our leather, but if they cannot deliver, we sometimes source from out of the country.
What tips would you give a beginner to pick out proper shoes?
The first and most important is to ensure what you’re buying is genuine leather and not PU leather, which is man-made. Technology nowadays is so good that PU leather can almost pass off as genuine leather. Genuine leather will be able to last you far longer than PU leather.
Secondly, if you are shopping for leather shoes, it’s best to bring along a suit and socks to see if they’ll match. For the first pair, it’s always best to go with black lace-up oxfords, in my opinion. That’s the most basic pair a man should have. The second pair would be loafers.