Keith Wong talks the company's shoe roots, growing its store network and how the industry has changed.

From a single shoe shop in Singapore in 1996 to an international network of over 600 retail stores across more than 30 markets around the world, Charles & Keith is ready to celebrate.

Widely known in the States for its standout handbag collection, Charles & Keith actually got its start as a shoe company. Indeed, cofounders — and brothers — Charles and Keith Wong grew up helping their parents in a humble shoe shop in suburban Singapore.

They eventually opened their first Charles & Keith store at Amara Shopping Centre in central Singapore and moved away from the traditional model of buying footwear from wholesale partners, instead developing their own designs in-house based on what customers actually wanted. That business model became the foundation for the brand’s international expansion.

“Since our early teens, we learned the trade and, more importantly, learned to really listen to customers,” Keith Wong told FN in an interview. “We started by serving women who needed footwear for work and everyday life, with classic silhouettes like slingbacks becoming core to our DNA. As fashion engagement evolved, so did we by introducing more diverse, seasonal silhouettes. Boots, mary janes and sneakerinas are now bestsellers and central to our design identity.”

Now, 30 later, the company is taking a digital-first approach to its international expansion. “Our e-commerce site launched in 2004, making us one of the first Singaporean fashion brands online,” Wong explained.

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