We have now appointed the three finalists of this year’s U.S. Shoe Shining Championship, organized in collaboration with the shoe care brand Saphir and the shoe brand Bridlen. At the New York Super Trunk Show on October 5th, the finalists will have 20 minutes to shine a shoe as beautiful as possible, for one to be crowned the American shoe-shining champion of 2024.
This will be the second edition of the huge shoe event The New York Super Trunk Show. It takes place on October 5th at The Kosciuszko Foundation, located at 15 E 65th St on the Upper East Side. The event is organized by myself (The Shoe Snob Blog), Shoegazing, and Kirby Allison.
At the New York Super Trunk Show 2024, we gather over 15 men’s shoe and menswear exhibitors from around the world, have a shoe patina exhibition, a free shoe shine service, and more. Click here to find all the information you need about the event.
The main stage happening of the event is the U.S. Shoe Shining Championship of 2024. The qualification process, jury members, and how the final will unfold are all thoroughly explained in this article. Here, the focus is on showcasing the finalists’ submissions and briefly letting you know who they are.
The contest is hosted in collaboration with Saphir and Bridlen Shoes, where the winner will receive a shoe care kit from Saphi, the brown plain cap toe oxford from Bridlen that was shined, and a gold medal. Among a bunch of great entries, these received the most jury points and made it to the final on October 5th:
U.S. Shoe Shining Championship of 2024
Ray Chen – Stony Brook, NY
It’s always great to see a really well-shined pair of black shoes, and that special finish that they can get. Ray Chen’s entry is a good example of this. He’s a senior at Stony Brook University and has a big menswear interest. His shoe shine journey started with his father shining his first pair of dress shoes from Allen Edmonds, and teaching him the basics of shoe shining. From there it has turned into a passion and now an entry into the U.S. Shoe Shining Champion of 2024.
Caleb Malinowski – Dallas, TX
The only American who made it to the final of the World Shoe Shining Championship, back in 2019, now gives it a go in the US contest. His entry showcases a great, even, and well-executed shine on a pair of wingtips. Caleb Malinowski started off as an amateur shoe shine enthusiast, for some years he worked for Kirby Allison and shined shoes there professionally. He has since worked in various menswear stores and continued to run a shoe shine service on the side. His presence in the U.S. Shoe Shining Championship of 2024 will be a sight to see!
Hang Li – Camarillo, CA
With both of his parents having a big interest in quality shoes and caring for them, it was a given that Hang Li would follow in the same footsteps and have a passion for shoe shining. He’s a hobbyist shoe shiner who certainly knows his stuff, and his entry is evidence of that. Here he showcases split-toe derby with a shine that enhances the beauty of the shoes, with not least superbly shined heels. His everyday work is as an Operation Program Manager in the manufacturing industry and we look forward to having him a part of the U.S. Shoe Shining Championship of 2024.
Make sure to learn more about the event and to come check it out if you are in the NYC area in early October! It is free of charge and promises to be a great time!
—Justin FitzPatrick, The Shoe Snob
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