ABOUT
MASON AND SMITH
Founded in 2013, Mason & Smith is Singapore’s first artisanal shoe-shining and leather care store which aims to deliver an elevated shoe experience unlike any other.
Services
Only the best can be expected for your shoes at Mason & Smith. From express shines to shoe washing, our array of services leave your shoes refreshed and ready for any occasion, elevating your every step. For well-loved pairs, we also offer comprehensive shoe repair services, from sole replacements to colour restoration, extending the life of your beloved shoes.
Our services are conceptualised and delivered by our founder John, the winner of the 2018 World Championship of Shoe Shining.
For brand new pairs of leather or suede shoes, our Pre Maintenance service lays down the first barrier of protection, repelling water and undesired stains during wear.
Those looking for routine maintenance of their shoes can opt for our Smiths High Shine service, which provides a regular polishing service that is followed by a High Shine polish.
For shoes affected by mould or fungus growth, Mason & Smith also provides a Mould Damage Treatment & Shine service that includes a deep washing and cleaning, promising a refreshed pair of shoes that is topped off with our Signature Smith's Shine.
For well-loved pairs, Mason & Smith offers Strip & Shine, which will remove old waxes before revitalising the shoes with our Signature Smiths Shine, as well as a Deep Nourishment Treatment & Shine that will provide a complete rejuvenation of dry, cracked leather surfaces along with the Signature High Shine.
Mason & Smith offers quality wash services for suede shoes and sneakers, which includes nourishment, colour touch-ups and water-proofing. This will leave your shoes looking fresh, especially after long periods of wear.
Shoe Repair
We offer a host of recolouring and repair services, from the installation of toe steels, half-rubber soles and rubber heels, to glue repair, colour removal, patina recolouring and burnishing. Mason & Smith’s artisans go the extra mile to ensure every client’s shoes enjoy longevity with the proper care and assistance.
At Mason & Smith, we also carry retail products from a number of artisans who are handpicked by our team. We carry high-quality apparel, as well as handcrafted leather shoes and our own line of leather maintenance products.
When selecting leather shoes, our artisans prioritise your comfort, fit, and its longevity. Artisanal leather shoes are an investment not only into durability and style, but the work of our craftsmen — ensuring their artistry is preserved for generations to come.
Mason & Smith also produces artisanal leather footwear, designed in-house for the tropical Singapore climate, which can be purchased ready-to-wear or customised to the client’s liking.
Apparel
With a keen eye for aesthetics and craftsmanship, our ready-to-wear apparel and bespoke services bring your visions to life. We curate captivating experiences that connect with audiences with carefully-picked artisans and handcrafted apparel from around the world.
For treasured heirloom pieces such as furniture, bags and other pieces, a variety of cleaning and maintenance services are also available.
Preserving memories, stories and traditions are our core motivations, and our artisans dedicate utmost care to ensuring your pieces are well taken care of.
Enjoy peace of mind when entrusting Mason & Smith with your beloved pieces. With free pick-up and delivery services, your items will always be safe and secure with us.
MASON AND SMITH
READY TO WEAR
At Mason & Smith, we offer bespoke clothing and footwear handmade by our expert artisans from across the region – specially crafted for you. In addition to our bespoke offerings, we also present a range of ready-to-wear apparel from carefully curated regional labels.
ARTISANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Mason & Smith partners with world-class artisans from the region and beyond to bring unparalleled craftsmanship to our boutique. Our partnered tailors and shoemakers each bring their unique blend of tradition and innovation to create bespoke and ready-to-wear pieces of exceptional quality.
At Mason & Smith, preserving culturally significant traditions and trades is at the heart of our work. We believe that supporting such skilled craftsmen not only ensures clients receive products of an exceptional quality to last a lifetime, but also that future generations also get to experience the magic of such treasured crafts.
TYE SHOEMAKER
Founded in 2010 by Tsuyoshi Ohno and Yohei Shimamura, Tokyo-based TYE Shoemaker is well-known as the gold standard in shoe-making. Their classic and refined bespoke leather shoes draw from Victorian influences but have their own unique spin. They offer designs that combine an old-world European style with modernity, finished with a Japanese touch.
The pair met as apprentices at the Guild of Crafts shoe-making school in the early 2000s. After working together on a shoe, they found that their vision of shoe-making aligned. They began making riding boots, before progressing to women’s shoes and now, primarily men’s luxury leather footwear.
They believe shoe-making is a form of artistic expression and work with clients to create their one-of-a-kind shoe. With hundreds of hours poured into the making of each hand-welted shoe, clients can expect their order to take about two years to complete.
Today, they offer both men and women’s footwear. Each piece is made-to-order, and no two shoes are the same.
TYE Shoemaker accepts orders during a yearly trunk show at Mason & Smith.
YOHEI FUKUDA
A standout in the world of classic English shoemaking, Yohei Fukuda is an esteemed craftsman with over twenty years of experience in the business and one of Japan’s leading bespoke shoemakers. Fukuda-san honed his craft while studying at the Tresham Institute in England and working with revered English shoemakers such as Church’s and Edward Green. Producing only around 300 pairs a year at his atelier in Tokyo, Fukuda-san prizes balance and timelessness in every piece. Every pair is made with the finest materials and meticulous attention to detail, with the client in mind.
At Mason & Smith, Fukuda-san offers ready-to-wear hand-welted leather shoes alongside made-to-order pieces. Clients can choose from four house styles for ready-to-wear pieces – Teal, Celeste, Guethe and Ebony. Expect to be fitted in-store for the appropriate sizing, before the shoes are flown in from Tokyo, where they are each made by hand, in approximately seven to ten days.
Personalisation is also available through their made-to-order shoes, which offer pattern modifications based on the four ready-to-wear styles, and choice of leather lining, toe shape and sole. Fitting is available at Mason & Smith, and orders can be placed year-round.
The shoes can be expected to arrive in 20 to 30 months depending on the availability of the leather material and number of orders at the workshop. Fully bespoke shoes with personalised shoe lasts and patterns are only available once a year during Fukuda-san’s trunk show at Mason & Smith, and can take up to 36 months to complete.
KENJIRO KAWASHIMA
Kenjiro Kawashima is a bespoke shoemaker from Japan, currently based in Seoul, South Korea.
As a student, he aspired to become a shoemaker but did not enrol in any formal shoe making classes. Later on, while working as a design teacher at the Hiko-Mizuno College of Jewellery, he began learning the ropes from other teachers.
During a school trip to artisanal shoemaker Norman Vilalta’s workshop in Barcelona, Kawashima-san was deeply inspired by the craftsmanship and character exuded by Vilalta. Seven years later In 2018, Kawashima-san moved to Barcelona to work under him. There, he was in charge of making bespoke shoes and creating new designs and shoe patterns.
In 2022, Kawashima-san moved to Seoul, where he founded Kawashima Handmade Shoes and remains the Head of Bespoke for Norman Vilalta. In his words, he does not wish to create classic English shoes – today, he makes contemporary shoes with innovative yet functional designs to meet clients’ needs.
Over the years, Kawashima-san has clinched awards at numerous shoemaking competitions, including 8th place at the World Championship in Shoemaking at the London Super Trunk show.
SIROENO YOSUI
Siroeno Yosui was founded by Ken Kataoka with the vision of delivering shoes where classical English silhouettes meet modern Japanese designs.
Ken Kataoka started crafting shoes 10 years ago and started his brand after several years of apprenticeship. His Tokyo studio is a small outfit with several works crafting out high-quality shoes.
Siroeno Yosui primarily offers made-to-order programmes where clients can customise most of the shoe, including design of the uppers, outsole material and stitching density. His beautiful handiwork has also gotten him runner-up in the 2022 World Shoemaking Championship.
He works with Mason and Smith and comes to Singapore for their trunk show on an annual or bi-annual basis.
Maestoso Bespoke
Combining traditional Italian tailoring with his own unique taste and style, Cheolmin Kim founded Maestoso Tailor in Seoul, South Korea, in 2020.
Maestoso Tailor offers more relaxed, effortless and soft tailoring – expect softer sleeves for greater movement, softer and lighter fabrics for warmer Asian weather, and a slimming silhouette – perfect for all kinds of activity.
As a former architecture student, Kim began to develop a deep passion for fashion design while interacting with his friends who pursued it at university. Finding that he loved working with his hands instead, he left university in the UK to learn the trade of tailoring in Florence, Italy.
Working as an assistant to a teacher in his university, Kim gained the skills he needed to get his foot in the door of a local tailor boutique. After four years honing his craft in Italy, Cheolmin returned to Seoul to start his own brand.
As Kim offers vintage or deadstock materials that have been well-curated over the years for clients to choose from, many pieces become one-of-a-kind.
A one-man show, Kim’s pieces take around eight months to produce with meticulous craftsmanship. He hosts a trunk show in Singapore with Mason & Smith three to four times a year.
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It all started with a pair of shoes.
Founded in 2013, Mason & Smith is Singapore’s first artisanal shoe-shining and leather care store. It all began with a 21-year-old’s passion for quality footwear.
Our founder, John Chung, grew an obsession with vintage men’s shoes after a backpacking trip across Southeast Asia at 19 years old. Chancing upon a flea market on the Thailand-Cambodia border selling secondhand shoes, the idea of starting his own business doing so in Singapore was planted.
Taking a leap of faith, he chose to open Mason & Smith instead of pursuing a traditional university education. With humble beginnings selling vintage shoes in flea markets, John had to change public perception of secondhand footwear – from unclean and undesirable to valuable, classic pieces that stood the test of time.
He also introduced shoe-shining services to Mason & Smith, before being invited to set up a booth at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in 2014. In 2015, Mason & Smith moved into its first home at Boat Quay, a space shared with John’s friend who owned a clothing store.
To further hone his craft, John moved to Hong Kong and Japan to master shoe-shining and leather repair from esteemed shoemakers in 2016. Later in 2018, he won the World Championship of Shoe Shining organised by Shoegazing in London, England.
With over a decade of experience under his belt, John now leads a team of artisans to deliver a wide range of services – from shoe repair and shining to bespoke leather shoes.
In 2023, the Mason & Smith family expanded to include Margo & Smith, an artisanal leather care store with a focus on luxury leather products.
Altogether, the Mason & Smith brand family aims to highlight craftsmanship in the leather-craft industry, allowing more Singaporeans to understand the work that goes into every piece.
Each pair of shoes tells a story, and through expert hands, we extend that journey, using traditional techniques passed down through generations. Investing in high-quality shoe repair not only protects your shoes but also supports the preservation of a rich heritage of craftsmanship.
In a world of mass production, we take pride in offering a bespoke touch, where attention to detail, superior materials, and a passion for our craft set us apart.
For our clients, this means more than just beautifully repaired shoes – it’s a commitment to sustainability, a nod to tradition, and a reflection of their own appreciation for the finer things. Choosing us is choosing to honor the past, invest in the future, and keep your shoes looking and feeling their best for years to come.
MASON
Address
7 Ann Siang Hill 01-01
Singapore 069791
Contact
+65 8332 6320
Opening Hours
Tues - Fri
11:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sunday
12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Closed on Monday and Public Holidays
