Succession planning is a very serious consideration when it comes to the fashion industry, especially when it applies to particular brands that are iconic because of their designers. Chanel’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani are in their 70s, and the search for someone who will carry on their legacies goes on — but any decisions made will be kept a guarded secret till the right time arrives to announce it.
The relative youth of the local fashion scene means that we don’t have to worry too much about that just yet. Many of our seniormost designers — Sonny San, Datuk Bernard Chandran, famed shoe couturier Datuk Jimmy Choo and Datuk Tom Abang Saufi — are still relatively young, and have many years to go before they need to even consider hanging up their cutting scissors.
But it is interesting to note that the younger generation of Malaysian designers have started to think about these things. “People like Datuk Jimmy Choo will not live forever, and he has made Malaysia famous. I am not saying I want to replace him, but I would like to do what he has done and make Malaysia proud,” said Benson Chen, a shoe designer who is clearly wise beyond his 20 years.
Benson, who officially started his eponymous shoe brand late last year, is currently based at The Twelve, a multi-brand store that features collections by 12 different local designers. Set up by the Malaysian International Fashion Alliance with the support of Maxis, The Twelve is located at Farenheit 88 and provides a chance for young, up-and-coming designers to establish a retail presence.
It’s impossible not to love the space Chen has designed for his brand at The Twelve — a circular boudoir anchored by plush seating in the middle, surrounded by transparent shelves that display each pair of shoes like jewels. Thanks to a contemporary styled chandelier, the space is lit up nicely and in a way that really makes it stand out from the rest. Chic and glamorous, it immediately appeals to the fanciful and fun-loving girl in all his customers, and is a perfect reflection of the shoes that he makes.
Up-and-coming shoemaker Benson Chen's journey to becoming the next Datuk Jimmy Choo.
It can be said that the Penang-born Chen comes armed with the best of both worlds — he is able to draw on the experiences of his traditional businessman father and his elder brother, a designer based in Sydney. “I have always been interested in fashion,” Chen recalls. “When I first told my father I wanted to do fashion he wasn’t very supportive — he already had one son doing it, so he wanted me to become a businessman.”
As parents often do, Chen’s father eventually relented and ensured Chen received proper training and education in fashion design. Chen soon found a niche that many other people were not servicing — well made shoes. “Everyone wants to design clothes, but no one wants to do shoes. But during runway shows, everyone needs them. So I decided that I would design shoes — the competition is less, and I am catering to a part of the market few other people are catering to,” he pointed out.
Just as Chen graduated from college, he won shoe design competitions in Malaysia and China. Almost immediately, Chen acquired a fan base that appreciated his chic approach to design and his clean and linear lines. He then based himself in a shoe factory in Cheras and started the arduous process of understanding how shoes are made so he could improve on his designs. This is the same factory, he said, that makes shoes for Datuk Jimmy Choo as well. As such, Chen is proud to say he makes shoes the old fashioned way with wooden moulds, rather than utilising a fully computerised formula, which is increasingly common.
It certainly shows — the quality of his shoes are evident from a single glance. Well made and neatly constructed, Chen’s shoes run the gamut from everyday pumps for work to fancy strappy shoes suitable for formal occasions as well as more avant garde pieces. “I am very particular about the quality of my shoes,” Chen said as we browse through his interesting — albeit slightly limited — collection at The Twelve. “That’s why I only use leather, not PVC. The skins all come from suppliers in Hong Kong, as I don’t think I am personally ready to go to Europe to source them myself.”
Chen offers a ready-to-wear selection that can be bought as is or personalised to suit the wearer — reduce the heel length, change the colour of the leathers or add some studs. You can also opt for a sprinkling of crystals on the toes, or add padding to the soles if you have a high in-step. The prices are the same for both off the shelf shoes or if they are customised, although prices on embellishments and leather types may vary. Delivery, Chen said, generally takes about two to three weeks.
Being located at The Twelve has helped Chen increase his customer base drastically, and in response to this he now releases new designs every three months while retaining classics that sell well. His future plans definitely include expanding into bags and other accessories, but he will have to wait till the brand is a little more established.
Closer to fruition are plans to collaborate with designers within The Twelve, Chen said, with Radzuan Radziwill the likeliest partner. “I’m not sure when this is going to happen, but there are definitely plans to work with the designers here.
“That will be really exciting,” he said. It won’t be his first runway collaboration though, as Chen created a full range of footwear for a runway show by a Sydney-based designer recently.
Right now, the boyish-looking designer’s focus is on growing the Benson Chen label locally and establishing the nature of the brand. Although he would like to study with a cordwainer in Europe, the business needs have to come first and Chen said he is determined to get the brand off the ground before he can consider furthering his education.
“I have proven to my father that being a shoemaker is a good business for me to be in, but I still have a lot to prove to myself,” Chen smiles. “I have received a lot of help from Datuk Jimmy Choo, both on terms of design, craftsmanship and building customer relationships. I would like to be as famous and as talented as him someday, and I hope he will be proud of me, too.”
Benson Chen is located at The Twelve, ground floor, Fahrenheit 88, Jalan Bukit Bintang, KL. For more information, visit www.bensonchen.com.
This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, June 28, 2011.
By Anandhi Gopinath | The Edge – Tue, Jun 28, 2011
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