On January 31st, 2026, history will be made with the very first Singapore Super Trunk Show — and with it, the debut of the Asian Championships of Shoe Shining 2026.
The event is organized by Shoegazing, The Shoe Snob, and Kirby Allison, in collaboration with sponsors Saphir Shoe Care and Bridlen Shoes. During the competition, three finalists will have 20 minutes to shine a shoe to perfection. Prizes include medals, premium footwear, shoe care products, and $800 USD in cash, generously provided by Saphir.
We are thrilled to finally bring the renowned Super Trunk Show concept to Asia, and especially to Singapore, after years of discussion and planning. As always, the event is organized by Jesper Ingevaldsson of Shoegazing, Justin FitzPatrick of The Shoe Snob, and Kirby Allison, a famous YouTube presenter and owner of his own website, Kirby Allison.
Hosted in a beautiful central-city venue, the show will feature an impressive lineup of leading shoe and menswear brands, engaging stage sessions focused on footwear craftsmanship, and other exciting happenings — including the inaugural Asian Championship of Shoe Shining 2026.
A full presentation of the event will be released later this year, but for now, mark your calendars and start planning your trip. Whether you’re in Singapore or elsewhere in Southeast Asia, this will be a day to remember!
Asian Championships of Shoe Shining 2026
The first Asian Championships of Shoe Shining will be organized in collaboration with the French premium shoe-care brand Saphir and the renowned Indian shoemaker Bridlen. The winner will receive a pair of Bridlen shoes and a Saphir shoe-care package. The top three competitors will also receive medals and share a USD 800 prize pool provided by Saphir (USD 500 for first place, USD 200 for second, and USD 100 for third; approximately SGD 1,050 in total). It’s no secret that professional shoe shining is exceptionally advanced in Asia—evidenced by all seven world champions to date coming from the region (five from Japan and two from Singapore)—so we expect a truly world-class contest.
The final will take place in the afternoon during the Singapore Super Trunk Show on January 31st, 2026. Three finalists will have 20 minutes to transform a factory-new Bridlen plain cap-toe Oxford in dark brown smooth leather into a mirror-shined beauty, using one can of Saphir Médaille d’Or Pâte de Luxe and one can of Saphir Médaille d’Or Mirror Gloss wax polish in the colors of their choice, along with water, a shoe brush, a polishing cloth (competitors may bring their own), and a nylon cloth. Despite the short time frame, expect remarkable results.
How to Qualify for the Asian Championships of Shoe Shining 2026:
Submit three photos of a pair of well-polished shoes. The photos should showcase the shine as clearly as possible—vary angles, maximize the shine in your photos, and focus on demonstrating the polish quality. Judging will assess overall polishing excellence—not only the highest gloss but also depth of shine, technique, and tasteful color variation—using the same criteria applied in the final. We have seen great shoe shiners not get qualified due to poor photography i.e., bad lighting.
Only one entry per contestant is allowed (three photos of the same pair). Each photo should feature no more than one pair; please do not submit group shots or collections. Entrants must be able to attend the final in Singapore on Saturday, January 31st, 2026. The contest is open to residents of Asia (Oceania included), both professionals and amateurs—professional shoe shiners, patina artists, cobblers, and dedicated shoe enthusiasts are all welcome.
Minor photo adjustments (e.g., basic exposure or cropping) are permitted, but significant edits, heavy filters, or manipulations are not allowed. Our professional photographer will examine entries; suspected violations may result in disqualification. Once again, we judge the quality of the polish, not the beauty of the photography.
Preliminary jury:
- Raymond Tan, Saphir
- Affan Mohammed, Bridlen
- Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
- Jesper Ingevaldsson, Shoegazing
- Kirby Allison
- Yuya Hasegawa, Brift H — Shoe Shining World Champion 2017
- John Chung, Mason & Smith — Shoe Shining World Champion 2018
- Ash Samsudin, Métiers Sol — Shoe Shining World Champion 2022
Each juror will award 1–5 points to their five favorite entries. The three highest-scoring entrants will qualify for the final. Only Justin FitzPatrick will know which photos belong to which entrants; the other jurors will vote blind. In the event of a tie, Jesper Ingevaldsson’s votes will be decisive. All jury decisions are final.
Submission details:
Email your three photos to [email protected] no later than Sunday, November 30th, 2025. Use “Asian Championships of Shoe Shining 2026” as the subject line. Finalists will be contacted the following week and then announced publicly. If you have any questions, just email us—we’re happy to help.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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