KUCHING: To many people, a pair of shoes simply serves as protection when one ventures into the harsh environments of the outdoors. However, Limited Edition mastermind Alex Su views shoes from a different perspective.
EXCLUSIVE SHOWCASE: Limited Edition’s store has a variety of products ranging from sneakers, fragrances, accessories and apparel to establish a unique identity for its customers.
“A pair of shoes goes beyond its mere functionality. In today’s society, shoes can also be a symbol of one’s personality and exhibit one’s taste in fashion,” he said.
Su, who hails from Sarikei has come a long way in the business he first set up in 2006 out of his personal interest in limited edition merchandise starting with sneakers.
As he had working stints in Singapore at a Nike retail store, it naturally progressed onto something bigger and better in the form of his own enterprise.
“The initial set-up capital of the business amounted to RM 150,000 which consisted of shop rental, decorations and the procurement of inventory,” the young entrepreneur revealed.
His first shop was situated in the Golden Triangle commercial area of Kuching and although he had his clientele from that period of time, he mentioned that sales figures significantly picked up after his second shop commenced operations at the ground floor of tHe Spring Kuching shopping mall.
“Our store’s policy is to keep our inventory exclusive, thus we only bring in four pieces of a particular design of apparel at any one time. In a way, there is a deep desire in each of us to stand out from the rest of the crowd and Limited Edition aims to serve this purpose through our merchandise on offer,” Su enthused.
He stated that most of his products were sourced from Hong Kong as the variety of choices with regards to sneakers were massive as the country served as a regional hub for sneaker enthusiasts coming from as far as Japan and Taiwan.
In addition, he explained that some sneakers had a limited run of production and were restricted to certain regions such as Japan but Limited Edition had the means and channels to bring these products direct to the Kuching market.
However, as most of his products were sourced from abroad he had to bear the brunt of the import taxes imposed upon the inventory.
On another note, he divulged that he made his orders according to the releases of merchandise by the manufacturers as the lineup changed according to seasonal factors and designs were constantly updated to reflect the latest trends.
Limited Edition’s sneakers are all brand new and customers yearning for a certain model can request for it subject to availability through the shop.
“The Kuching market for collectible sneakers is not very large compared to other places like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Shoe collectors there actually queue up to purchase the latest editions of the sneakers,” Su elucidated as he gave his thoughts on Kuchingites’ reception to his products.
Besides serving the Kuching market, he also catered to his loyal customers in Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia and provided delivery services for their purchases.
As an added elaboration on the brands he carried in his shop, Su touched on the Nike SB label which he portrayed as a brand that was born out of a crossover of cultures between companies in different industries.
Moreover, he said the success of the Nike SB brand was further enhanced by collaborations with renowned artistes in various genres such as Jay-Z in the hip hop industry.
“There are certain customers who are not big fans of Nike SB, so we actually accommodate their requests and have brought in sneakers from the Adidas, Converse, Fred Perry and Macbeth labels,” Su said.
His apparel selection included those of Obey Giant which has a graffiti theme affiliated to it as the brand aimed to promote awareness of world issues on its apparel.
“Basically the idea of the Obey Giant label is art that you can wear,” Su claimed.
Bloop and Endorse were some of the other indie brands which originated from Jakarta that Limited Edition lined up on its shelves.
Su added that Limited Edition’s market was mainly geared towards men but he also had customers from the fairer sex shopping for their male counterparts.
On the topic of expansion, he admitted that he felt that the sole shop he had now in Kuching was sufficient to cater to the existing market but he had plans in the near future to expand operations to Miri and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
Su preached patience when queried on the advice he had for young entrepreneurs who were thinking of setting up their own businesses.
As to the question of the authenticity of his inventory, he offered a lifetime money back guarantee subject to terms and conditions for his customers.