Mr Billy's Hand Made Shoes: Custom kicks

Since cobbler Billy Wang appeared on the scene ten years ago with Mr Billy’s Hand Made Shoes, he’s made quite a name for himself, particularly among expats with big feet (good luck finding anything above a size 10 in the shoe shops). He even claims to have trained many of the shoemakers in this town.

Unless you fancy your design skills, go to Mr Billy’s Hand Made Shoes prepared with magazine cuttings of the season’s must-have heels or your fave pair of shoes for Wang to copy. He also has a display of samples to tickle your fancy.

You can score a pair of smart leather brogues or towering knee highs for less than RMB 1,000 (unless you want crocodile or ostrich leather, which is a tad dearer). But due to high demand for Mr Billy’s hand made shoes, you may be waiting up to three weeks -- but you'll be happy you did.