John, who is 23, started his business in 2013 with a humble booth of cheap plastic chairs, printed A4 paper as signage, and barely even a proper company logo. His initial idea was to sell vintage dress shoes, sourced from overseas, at the Public Garden flea market.
“I realized that people were interested in the shoes because they were nicely polished,” said John. Armed with this knowledge, he taught himself to craft the perfect shoeshine and the finest patina.
It was at the Public Garden flea markets that John first met the executives in charge of Marina Bay Sands retail. It was also here where he first encountered Kevin Seah, a veteran bespoke menswear designer and the owner of the space that John currently works at