The inaugural 2023 U.S. Championships in Shoe Shining happened last October at the New York Super Trunk Show. When something is new it takes a little while to get it all out, hence our delay in showing you. Finally, we have the video thanks to Kirby Allison and you can now watch the competition in full view as if you were there.
Thanks to all of you that were able to attend and we hope to see more of you in 2024!
In Kirby’s words:
Watch three shoe shine specialists compete against each other to see who can create the best mirror shine in just TWENTY MINUTES at the inaugural U.S. Shoeshine Competition! This exciting event was held in New York City in October 2023 as part of the New York Super Trunk Show, an event that attracted shoe and style aficionados from all over the country to indulge in their shared passion for leather dress shoes and classic style.
Affiliated with the London Super Trunk Show and the World Championships of Shoe Shining held each year in London, this was the first year for a shoe shine competition to be held in the United States. The three finalists, selected from over 20 entrants, were given just twenty minutes to transform a totally new, unpolished pair of shoes into a masterpiece of style and class.
Both the New York Super Trunk Show and the London Super Trunk Show, along with all affiliated events, are organized by Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoe Gazing Blog (@shoegazingblog), Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob (@theshoesnob_official), and Kirby Allison (@kirbyallison).
This event was sponsored by Saphir Shoe Polish, KirbyAllison.com, and Bridlen Shoes. Saphir Medaille d’Or Shoe Polish, widely considered by shoe aficionados to be the best polish in the world, was exclusively used by the contestants. Bridlen Shoes, a manufacturer of luxury Goodyear welted leather dress shoes, generously provided the shoes for the event.
The Winner of the 2023 U.S. Shoe Shine Championship
Levi Elliott from Plymouth, Indiana
IG: @leshoeguy
Finalists in the 2023 U.S. Shoe Shine Championships
🔸 Sunny Yoo from Elliott City, Maryland
IG @cobblersunny
🔸 SSG Chadwick Winget from Arlington, Virginia
IG @_bestfootforward
Make sure to stay up to date with our Super Trunk Shows here: https://theshoesnobblog.com/super-trunk-show/
We hope to see you at the next one!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob