Beyonce's sister wore his shoes

He went for a four-month shoemaking course in Florence, Italy, three years ago.

And Mr Mashizan Masjum has since seen his shoes worn by the likes of TV host Jeannie Mai and Beyonce's sister, singer Solange Knowles.

Tomorrow, the 43-year-old will take his shoe brand Mashizan to Singapore Fashion Week for its closing event. It will be the brand's very first fashion show.

Mr Mashizan spent almost 20 years working as a broadcast journalist and documentary producer in Singapore and New York before launching his brand last November. He has released two full collections to date.

His wedges, ankle boots and pumps range from $600 to $1,000 and are sold at Robinsons The Heeren and Julie Nicole at Capitol Piazza.

It's a dream come true for Mr Mashizan, who has been passionate about women's shoes since his secondary school days.

"I always think of women's shoes as a work of art. Even women's clothes are so beautiful," he told The New Paper.

"I remember how while I was still studying shoemaking, I was interviewed by a friend and I said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if a celebrity would wear my shoes in the future?'

"I guess it all worked out."

His move into fashion and Florence, where he is now based, is not the first time Mr Mashizan has taken himself out of his comfort zone.

In 2005, after working as a broadcast journalist in Singapore for nine years, he moved to New York City without any job offers. It took him six months to find one.

While he loved producing documentaries for outlets like National Geographic and History Channel, his mind was still on shoes.

So he took a sabbatical in 2013 to study shoemaking under the tutelage of Angelo Imperatice, former head designer at luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo.

ITALY

"I've always been fascinated with Italian styles and designs, and I think Italians take great care of their artisanal heritage. That's why I chose Italy," said Mr Mashizan.

He was to return to work on documentaries in New York but slowly started prototyping his own designs instead.

"It was a gradual change, as I still wasn't sure if it was the right path for me," he said.

Mr Mashizan brings his experience as a documentary producer into his design work.

"I love stringing ideas together, it allows me to tell the story of how a shoe is designed," he said.

Solange Knowles PHOTO: REUTERS

But with no business or fashion background, the big jump to starting a shoe business was daunting.

"I had to learn everything from scratch, I even learnt from my friends how to do business proposals," said Mr Mashizan.

"The toughest part was finding the right factory to produce my shoes.

"Compared to big brands like Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, my brand is still very small and new, so why would a factory choose to produce mine?"

Fortunately for him, he found a production manager in Florence who guided him through the industry.

Mr Mashizan's family and friends were very entertained and enthusiastic by his mid-career switch, and were all supportive, telling him to go for it.

As he looked back on his success, Mr Mashizan cited Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling as an affirmation to him.

He said: "Success is hard to gauge.

"I'm definitely not there yet, but it's the satisfaction I get from empowering women to feel great and strong that keeps me going.

"Don't dwell on the negativity and always have it in your head that everything is possible if you believe in yourself."

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"I remember how while I was still studying shoemaking, I was interviewed by a friend and I said, 'Wouldn't it be nice if a celebrity would wear my shoes in the future?' I guess it all worked out."

- Mr Mashizan Masjum