We’ve now appointed the three finalists of this year’s U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining, organised in collaboration with the shoe care brand Saphir and the shoe brand Bridlen. At the New York Super Trunk Show on October 5 the finalists will have 20 minutes to shine a shoe as beautiful as possible, to become the American shoe shining champion.
The second edition of the huge shoe event New York Super Trunk Show takes place on October 5 at 15 E 65th St on the Upper East Side, organised by The Shoe Snob, Shoegazing and Kirby Allison. We gather over 15 men’s shoe and menswear exhibitors from around the world, have a shoe patina exhibition, a free shoe shine service and more. Here you’ll find all info about the event.
The main stage happening of the event is the U.S. Championships of Shoe Shining. The qualification process, jury members and how the final will unfold is thoroughly explained in this article, here focus is on showcasing the finalists’ submissions and briefly let you know who they are. The contest is hosted in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen Shoes, where the winner will receive a shoe care kit from Saphi, the brown plain cap toe oxford from Bridlen that was shined, and a gold medal. Among a bunch of great entries, these received most jury points and made it to the final on October 5:
Ray Chen, Stony Brook, NY. It’s always great to see really well-shined black shoes, and that special finish these can get. Ray Chen’s entry is a good example of this. He’s a senior at Stony Brook University, and has a big menswear interest, where his shoe shine journey started with his father shining his first pair of dress shoes from Allen Edmonds, and learning him the basics, from there it has turned into a passion.
Caleb Malinowski, Dallas, TX. The only American who’ve made it to the final of the world shoe shining champs, back in 2019, now gives it a go in the US contest. His entry showcase a great, even and well-executed shine on a pair of wingtips. Caleb Malinowski started off as an amateur shoe shine enthusiast, for some years he worked for Kirby Allison and shined shoes there professionally, he’s since worked in menswear stores and continued to run a shoe shine service on the side.
Hang Li, Camarillo, CA. With a both a mom and dad with big interest in quality shoes and caring for them, it was a given for Hang Li to get his eyes open for this. He’s a hobby shoe shiner that certainly knows his stuff, which his entry is evident off. A split toe derby with a shine that enhances the beauty of the shoes, with not least superbly shined heels. His everyday work is as a Operation Program Manager in the manufacturing industry.
