Feiyue {飞跃} is a sneaker brand produced in Shanghai, China since the 1920s. Today, they are still produced in China but since 2006, Feiyue is also a French-owned company, separate from the original Chinese company.
The boy bought his first pair of Feiyue shoes 3 years ago and since then, he has bought many more, even for Lil Pumpkin. Yes, she has her own kiddy Feiyue shoes too haha. As I was going to be in Shanghai, the birthplace of the brand, I just had to buy back some authentic Feiyue shoes for all of us!
At first, I wanted to visit the official Feiyue store {No. 264 Danshui Road, 淡水路264号} at Xintiandi but decided to go to its authorised dealer,
Culture Matters, instead since it was nearer my hotel. Note that these kind of sneakers are not sold in the usual shoe stores, as nowadays, it has reached cult status and is loved mainly by the foreigners {thanks to celebrities like Orlando Bloom & Johnny Depp} and trendy youngsters. Although it's considered a bargain to us {considering how much it costs in Singapore!}, it has become a bit too expensive for the locals to enjoy like in the past.
Culture Matters stocks classic styles and seasonal collections of Feiyue, as well as Shulong {舒龙} and Warrior {回力} which are also old-school shoe brands, all made and designed in China but not available in Singapore. They had only kids footwear for Warrior, and the rest were unisex models.
The store is a really small corridor that's stacked wall-to-wall with the shoes and when I went, it was manned by a very friendly guy and lady. They were very patient in helping me to decide on sizes and models, and never pushed me into buying anything. The guy speaks English too.
I got there just as it opened and during my time there, different groups of mainly foreigners and a few locals came by. The shopkeepers told me that usually, the foreigners would buy about 5-6 pairs back and it was true! haha.. I overheard a few of the locals saying "哎呀！这些是我们小时候穿的呀! {oh! we used to wear these when we were young!}". Adds to the charm of the shoes I guess ;)
A pair of classic Feiyue sneakers {2nd generation} costs RMB55 each. The 3rd generation was just released this year and costs RMB99. Compared to the earlier generations, it is supposedly made of better quality and has softer cushioning. It is also whiter. I prefer the faded white colour of the 2nd generation so got that instead. The first generation is out of stock and not in production anymore.
There really are many models of shoes here and they generally cost around or less than RMB100! Quality-wise, I think they are as good as a pair of Converse.
The boy was looking for some loafers so got him that navy blue pair from Warrior.
You can also pay an extra RMB50 to have your own design hand-painted on your sneakers, but you need to order that a week in advance as the shoes are sent to a factory for painting and proper coating so that it's protected from the elements.
There are some ready stock hand-painted designs in store but they come in limited quantities and are relatively more expensive than the usual designs. I also bought a pair of white Warrior loafers with a hand-painted blue Chinese dragon design for myself. Wanted to get it for the boy but they didn't have his size, and it was too exquisite to pass up!
If you love fashion and want to bring a unique piece of Shanghai home with you, then pop by to get yourself a pair of traditional Chinese sneakers. Sure beats buying a piece of touristy "I love Shanghai" t-shirt! :P
Check out my video to see my shopping haul of Feiyue, Shulong and Warrior shoes! You can also see the actual hand-painted Chinese dragon loafers I was talking about. If the video isn't working,
watch it on YouTube here.
Culture Matters, Dongping Lu branch
15 Dongping Lu, Xuhui district{徐汇区东平路15号}
Nearest Metro station: Hengshan Lu {
衡山路}, Exit 4
Open daily, 11am - 9pm
* Disclosure: My Shanghai Story trip was partially sponsored by Spring Airlines. No monetary compensation was received, and all opinions are my own.
5 comments:
Look at all those shoes! I would be in heaven!
There is so many! How fun. I like Little Pumpkin's shoes. I have a friend that paints on shoes.
You asked about rice milk ice cream. It tastes pretty similar to regular ice cream. It's more expensive, but I'm trying to do without dairy right now.
I hadn't heard of Feiyue shoes but they look absolutely funky! So cute that Lil Pumpkin has a pair :)
It has a very Chinese name... haha. I'd have steered well clear doubting the quality. OK now I know better!
I like that they didn't try to push you into a sale. That makes me happy too...being able to comfortably take my time deciding if/what I wan to buy. :)
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