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The high end Chinese Shoe Thread

kevenmee

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I have both meccariello and BW. So let me clarify.

Helen from BW will do any design you throw at her, and if it gets too wild, all she does is charge a new pattern fee of 50 USD. She’s got 4 stock last, which are excellent, primarily the PU & HUANG. Refer to octenths lasts as they are similar to what she has.

BW can make a value declaration of <100, negating all your tax and customs concerns.

As impressive as meccariello, after owing 5 pairs and 6th currently under commission, if you want absolute creative freedom, last modifications and quick turnaround and 80% the level of Antonio in terms of construction at 50/60% the cost, Helen is the real deal. I can speculate that she is probably the maker behind graziat, if you look at the pictures they both post. Of course, BW never stated this.

If you are concerned about leather quality, I have the same concern because I have never had a box calf from Helen. However, my current MTM is box calf in her premium range with an upcharge for a better leather cut and an entirely hand-stitched outsole.

If you are still worried, commission a suede or hatch or Utah Haas, and you will be delighted with BW

Dumb question, what does BW stand for and how does one get in contact with them?
 

j ingevaldsson

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My experience buying thing from China is that they slap a ridiculously low price on a customs declaration, so the customers would avoid fees & taxes. Was it the case with BW? Otherwise 5000 SEK will be a subject to 12% customs fees on goods from China and then 25% VAT on top of that + customs brokerage fees (75-150 sek), which quickly turns into +40% in fees and taxes here, in Sweden.
This coupled together with return & exchange problems turns me away from any high end Chinese brands. Meccariello shoes look like a better buy

My was sent as samples, since they were a free review pair, had to pay some but wasnt' that much. As others say they seem to write value down if one wish, but I don't write things like that out since it's not really lega.


my bw pair

Nice ones!


BW and Oct are different factories, though Helen was with Oct10 before the inception of BW. (I might be wrong about the details @j ingevaldsson could shed some light, if he wishes to do so)

The topies were installed during the commission by Helen. She didn't have it but got it because I insisted. It might sound silly, but I have OCD for explosion & Crespino topies.

Honestly, I still don't fully get the relationship/connections between BW and Xibao still. I've asked Helen but only get rather cryptic answers. So I don't go into it.


Dumb question, what does BW stand for and how does one get in contact with them?

A bit dumb since it's stated in my first post there ;) Blazing Wonders.
 

bernoulli

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I used to live in Brazil, which the Portuguese also screwed, and it is absolutely NOT THE CASE that customs officers can only tax the value it is declared. It is common practice in the country for customs officers to negate that value if they suspect it is underreported and tax based on what they perceive the true value to be. One time, I bought a pair of Herrings on sale for something like 70GBP and got customs duties of 60% on a notional value of 300GBP. It was a fun experience!

Your country can tax only the value declared, if it’s sent as a gift/repaired shoe. Then it’s probably zero.

I live in angola and anything valued about 500USD has jaw dropping taxation and possibility to disappear given the corruption, so my pair was declared at 50USD as a repair pair.
 

ajay199127

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I used to live in Brazil, which the Portuguese also screwed, and it is absolutely NOT THE CASE that customs officers can only tax the value it is declared. It is common practice in the country for customs officers to negate that value if they suspect it is underreported and tax based on what they perceive the true value to be. One time, I bought a pair of Herrings on sale for something like 70GBP and got customs duties of 60% on a notional value of 300GBP. It was a fun experience!

Sorry for chuckling a bit at your awful experience. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for the country, Angola is far behind Brazil in quantifying valuable goods, especially if it's not the typical luxury bling brand.
 

bernoulli

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Please chuckle all you want. At least somebody got something nice out of my misery in that instance. As for Angola being behind, yes, I know what you mean. I have been there doing some consulting for top officials and did not feel encouraged for the country's future. It did not help that I was supposed to teach people at the Central Bank, but the President had just fired the Central Bank Governor and had the military occupy the building. Fun times!

Sorry for chuckling a bit at your awful experience. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for the country, Angola is far behind Brazil in quantifying valuable goods, especially if it's not the typical luxury bling brand.
 

ajay199127

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Please chuckle all you want. At least somebody got something nice out of my misery in that instance. As for Angola being behind, yes, I know what you mean. I have been there doing some consulting for top officials and did not feel encouraged for the country's future. It did not help that I was supposed to teach people at the Central Bank, but the President had just fired the Central Bank Governor and had the military occupy the building. Fun times!

Trust me, I am in the O&G sector, and things get interesting beyond your wildest imagination. I have learned and aged 5x times over the past 2 years.
 

Betta

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BW and Oct are different factories, though Helen was with Oct10 before the inception of BW. (I might be wrong about the details @j ingevaldsson could shed some light, if he wishes to do so)

The topies were installed during the commission by Helen. She didn't have it but got it because I insisted. It might sound silly, but I have OCD for explosion & Crespino topies.
I dunno... When you look at their instagram (OT, Y, BW, Ace of spades, et al) they all look strangely similar in finishing and lasts.
 

yshin10

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My first pair from a high end chinese shoemaker. Curious to see who you think it’s from?


DF35428A-D3CA-4938-ABE7-D666762A8613.jpeg
 

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