LewrE LEW
Dato' Lewre Lew’s Shining Second Comeback Post Pandemic
Speaking candidly from his swanky new beautiful boutique on Bangsar’s Beverly row which was officially unveiled last December, Datuk Lewre Lew has emerged all the richer from lessons learnt from the pandemic.
BY YVONNE YOONG
The pandemic has come and gone. But the manifold lessons it has taught us remain. Meet Dato Lewre Lew, one of the amazing few entrepreneurs who has not only walked away relatively unscathed from the fierce pandemic which nearly brought him to his knees and his business operations to a complete halt back then but who has pivoted and rebranded his boutique by unveiling his latest, newest gem in the heart of Bangsar.
Sharing a couple of the invaluable lessons derived from the infamous lockdown, his key takeaway is that life is all about ups and downs. And essentially, that health is wealth.
“During the pandemic, I realised that business can be very bad, so it was time to slow down. But I realised too that that was also the time to slow dance. It taught me that life is about that second chance,” he told Paparazzi360.
“I heard that life is a journey but one day, when I sat down and meditated, I looked at my fingers and realised that — ‘Isn’t it true? That’s what life is!!! It’s really in front in the palm of our hands: Our fingers indicate it’s up and down!”
This resonated with the realisation that made him question “Why are we so down when we are down? And, why are we so proud if we’re up?” This reasoning gave him the courage to endure the pandemic as he realised the highs will come once again after the lows.
Having been in business with his famous shoe couture business, the launch of the flagship Lewré Bespoke store nicely coincides with the brand’s 25th-anniversary of its journey to establish itself as a world-class shoe production and retail company that can compete against top-tier brands internationally. The brand has a targeted goal of establishing over 100 stores across Asia by 2025.
Having launched his brand in 1997 at the height of the Asian Economic Crisis, he noted that the 10-year cycle of ups and downs has seen him through to his current season in life.
“10 years, 20 years… and normally by 30 years old you’re at the top and at 40 years old, if you’re not careful, you’re going down. Then I thought to myself, ‘Oh dear! I’m almost at the end but I looked at my fingers and realised that No! “God gave me two hands! So now I’m here — and there’s another five fingers or 50 years for me!” he shared with a chuckle.
Similarly, therein, the ups and downs in life point to the fact that one can learn something. So, there’s the upside coming again and this is life. Convinced that God gives the lows for a reason even with the balancing act of the coming highs, he says similarly, the feet God has given us indicate that we have to be grounded and down-to-earth.
Going Back To Genesis
True to form, Lewre made an exciting comeback at the unveiling of his all-new personalised creation of his “Garden of Eden” Collection at his new couture boutique on Bangsar’s Beverly Row last December.
Unveiled in the presence of Hajjah Kalsom Abdullah, Former Sultanah consort of Pahang and Patron of Lewré Bespoke alongside Dato’ Suriani Binti Dato’ Ahmad, Secretary-General to the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development & Cooperatives (KUSKOP), he introduced the “Garden of Eden” collection inspired by the Bible recollection of the Book of Genesis.
Drawing on floral and animalistic aesthetics as inspiration, the shoe collection features a versatile line-up of 18 designs, with striking blue and red hues, to subtle nude and pink shades with showstopping pieces inspired by the beauty of the peacock and in tribute to a luscious bloom bequeathed with over 1,4000 Austrlian crystals handstitched onto each striking petal — designs which reflect Lewré Bespoke’s timeless and superior craftsmanship that are all meticulously handcrafted while integrating its signature intricate beading and sophisticated design into each pair of shoes.
Looking back, he is grateful that he made the tough decision to close his outlet at The Gardens Mall during the height of the pandemic as he could do personal visits to his customers during that time. Losing the working crowd customers was a decision that he could cope with as he couldn’t serve any customer during that time. That decision alone saved him one year’s rental and expenses, etc.
Changing his mission statement to “It’s very personal” from “That personal touch”, his new bespoke boutique — a dream come true marrying inspiration from his worldwide travels which focusses solely on the crème de la crème upper crust market promises exclusivity and customisation. This spanking new Lewré Bespoke Flagship Store which is equipped with hi-tech scanners and AI technology is able to acquire precise measurements for each patron to produce immaculately customised shoes to cater to each customer’s every desire.
“The Garden of Eden collection is where art, culture, and craftsmanship come together seamlessly,” he shared of his beautiful floral-theme Lewré Bespoke’s first flagship galleria like an experiential centre spanning 3,600 sq ft galleria birth out of inspiration from his travels abroad to Europe, America and Japan.
“Galleria insinuates a beautiful upmarket, fashion lifestyle showcase where I can host my tai-tais and royals in a garden setting much like a garden of Eden. So this place is a galleria for shoes. It’s an experiential centre where you can experience a garden setting so we are promoting a lifestyle for a fashion lifestyle to have NFT here.
“I sketch the shoes for you and only for you. So you have the shoes and the actual digital sketch. And one day, when I am very famous or when you are really very famous, you can keep the copyright sketch of the shoes. So, it’s like having your own shoe line,” he shared over our discussion on an enchanted Saturday evening in his mini garden galleria.
