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Even before I entered the store, I knew my decision-making skills would be tested.
Timberland had just launched its Build Your Own Handsewn (BYOH) service, and I was at the store to design my very own pair of moccasins.
The palette has up to 23 colours and 20 components - from the main parts of the shoe such as the side and tongue, right down to the eyelets, soles, stitching and the font of one’s initials, which can be printed on three parts of the shoe.
Clearly, no detail is too small to personalise.
The process is easier and much more enjoyable than you’d expect. All the shoe components in their colour variants are laid out on an inclined working table.
You choose the pieces and fit them into a template the way you would if you were doing a jigsaw puzzle. Those who are stumped by the array of choices can look to sample designs for inspiration.
According to store manager Jeff Ong, some customers instantly know what they want while others, like me, need a little more time (30 minutes, to be exact).
There are two styles of shoe to choose from - the three-eye classic and two-eye boat shoes. Both are iconic Timberland models, constructed with full-grain leather and slip-proof soles for durability and comfort.
Cheryl Kow, marketing manager at Timberland, said that ladies usually prefer the boat shoes for their more streamlined shape whereas the three-eye classic, with their clunkier sole, tend to be more popular with men.
Still, I opted for the supposedly more masculine design as I relished the juxtaposition of that rugged sole with my choice of dark pink and navy uppers.
As every order of customised shoes is sent to, and produced in, the Timberland-owned Dominican Republic Factory in Santiago, it will be another three to four weeks before I can walk around in my first pair of “self-designed” shoes.
For both men’s and ladies’ styles, the two-eye boat shoes retail at S$279 while the three-eye classic are $339.
The BYOH service is only available at the Raffles City Timberland store (#01-30, Tel: 6333 3528).
- TODAY/yb
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