McDonald is the sole man Andrew Macdonald, cobbler and shoe designer, in his shop in Sydney. Picture: Nowytarger Renee Source: The Australian IN today's culture of fast fashion, one-off creations are what every fashion-forward person is looking for. The best way to embrace this move towards custom pieces is feet first. Custom-made shoes, a staple of well-dressed European men for decades, have kicked their way through to the Australian market. Benefiting from the resurgence of interest in shoes that fit like a glove is Sydney's Andrew McDonald, who has been designing and handcrafting bespoke men's and women's shoes since 1990. While some designers scribbled their first fashion sketches with crayons and Textas, McDonald didn't get his calling until he was 30. The epiphany came during his career as a photographer while working on a project with shoemaker Paul Harnden in London. The beauty of Harnden's work prompted McDonald to put away his lens and return to Australia to study footwear. Within six years he was awarded a Churchill fellowship, under which he worked with master shoemakers John Lobb in London and Hermes in Paris. "The fellowship was for a year," McDonald says. I was fortunate to study both with John Lobb and Hermes. The French and English were very different in how they approached their work. While John Lobb was great fun to work with, at Hermes they were very serious, but that's to be understood as they are very passionate about their craft. If you look at the French, they take their craftsmanship very seriously. They have the ancient guild of craftsmanship, which is a seven-year apprenticeship. After completing the Churchill fellowship, McDonald opened his workshop in Paddington, where he traded for 16 years before moving to the Strand Arcade last year. We have seen much more interest by opening in the Strand Arcade. Paddington was once a fashion destination but that has since changed and the area has lost its attraction," McDonald says. While we have only been open in the Strand Arcade for a short time, we have had an overwhelming response. McDonald believes there is definitely more interest in handmade shoes, which will last 10 years, compared with a commercially made shoe, which he says will last only a year or so. "Over the last 20 years, shoe production has changed," he says. For about 40 to 50 years we made great shoes, and now people are after uniqueness and a pair that they can call their own. With the mass-produced shoes, there seems to be a sea of rubbish out there. McDonald's leathers are sourced from around the world, including horse and bison from the US and cordovan from Japan. Clients for custom-made shoes are usually professionals, with an interest in design. Some of our clients come in and know exactly what they want. They are usually the ones who do the research and look online. With others, we need to get them across the line in why they should be paying the money for a handcrafted pair of shoes. Sharing his knowledge and passion for shoe design and production, McDonald also offers a shoe-making course, which is booked up for the next eight months. His students, who get to create a pair of shoes, come from varied backgrounds, including finance, law and sport. McDonald's work also has extended to fashion and film, with his credits including the most recent Star Wars trilogy, Superman Returns and Mission: Impossible II, which were all filmed in Sydney. In addition to creating shoes for costume designer Catherine Martin, McDonald has worked with Australian designers Wayne Cooper and Akira Isogawa, and his shoes have appeared in fashion shows. The cobbler's most recent collaboration is with up-and-coming menswear label Song for the Mute. "Song had been using my shoes for their look books and we shared the same sales agents in Paris," McDonald says. Working together seemed like a logical and interesting prospect. Melvin (Tanaya) and Lyna (Ty) came to me with their design ideas and the materials they wanted to use. There are lots of prototypes made along the way. With the second collection, nearly all the ideas we started with changed by the end. McDonald is not the only person a step ahead of the fashion pack. Louis Vuitton provides a made-to-order shoes service in its flagship Sydney store, which opened in December 2011, and was second globally to offer the service for made-to-order shoes for men. "With the new maison opening in Sydney, it was fortuitous reasoning for us to open the second made-to-order service here," says Philip Corne, chief executive for Louis Vuitton Australia. The Australian consumer over the years has demonstrated their likeness towards unique products and we elaborated on that. The shoes start at $2840. Men have the opportunity to pick from six shoes, and can select the soling and insteps that work best. Eight leathers are on offer, including the exotic leathers of alligator, ostrich and python. Now, four Louis Vuitton maisons around the world offer the made-to-order service. The Sydney service is performing well and rating equal with the other stores, according to Corne. "The Louis Vuitton consumer in Australia is either a young, aspirational person who has just discovered the brand," Corne says. We then have the people who are trading up and wanting individual, unique pieces. This is just getting stronger and stronger and the personalised service is being highly sought-after. GERMAN label Hugo Boss has become synonymous with sharp suiting that balances creativity with corporate demands. The timing of the rise of Hugo Ferdinand Boss's business - established in 1924 - resulted in some awkward beginnings for a global brand, with forced labour making uniforms for the SS during war. It's something the company deals with head on on its website, expressing "its profound regret to those who suffered harm or hardship at the factory run by Hugo Ferdinand Boss under National Socialist rule." After the war, the company grew, gaining a reputation as a men's suit supplier before listing on the German stock exchange in 1985. British private equity firm Permira now controls 65.5 per cent. There are four labels: BOSS; casual-wear line BOSS Orange; sportswear line BOSS Green; and trend-driven HUGO. While the suiting reputation is impossible to escape, its womenswear is growing and making waves. Womenswear accounts for 12 per cent of sales, but expect that figure to grow after the latest Boss Black collection. The range was inspired by an imaginary woman of mystery masking a secret affair. It seems adulteresses are favouring tailored pieces and streamlined silhouettes with A-line skirts, Prince of Wales check shift dresses and stretch cords. Classic pieces, such as trench coats and turtlenecks, are all given a gentle nudge towards current trends. The best way to experience the collection is at the recently refurbished flagship store in King Street, Sydney. It's the largest Hugo Boss store in the Asia-Pacific and only the third in the world featuring the new design. Luxuriously sized fitting rooms, VIP viewing areas and a central staircase dominating the former Sydney Arcade space set the tone. The new store at Melbourne's Crown echoes the details of its northern neighbour. Must have EXPECT plenty of variations on the good-girl-turned-bad, sleeveless leather dress with pleated skirt at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia, in Sydney from Monday. It's the sort of thing Olivia Newton John could have worn at the end of Grease to convey her transformation from mild to wild, without having to squeeze into unflattering tights. There's no need to wait until next season for this edgy essential with Witchery ($199.95, witchery.com.au) having a simple and sexy version on shelves now. As Newton-John would say: "It's the one that you want."