Anothersole, Singapore’s Fastest-Growing Sustainable Shoes Are Here in Malaysia

Created by Singaporeans Benny Chee and Phoebe Charn, the brand began its life selling their signature Anytime flats that were made of leather and stitched to the rubber sole. You can make a throughline from this detail to many other parts of their shoes.

The laces are made of recycled plastics, the footbeds are made with plants, and even the leather is sourced from ethical tanneries that have proper waste water management practices.

Their goal was to make comfortable flats that functioned like sneakers and according to Benny, many Singaporean women found that the shoes were indeed comfortable and adoption of the shoe increased by word of mouth. He gave an anecdote about a teacher who was so enamoured by the shoes that she had bought over 300 pairs on behalf of friends and family who were convinced by her endorsement.

We received a pair of Anothersole 247 Mono Sneakers ourselves and while the sneakers for men are a little plain, we can't deny that the footbed was comfortable. It gives an extra spring in your step and the leather feels soft.

The best part about the design is that the sole is removable and changeable. For people with chronic bromodosis (don't look it up) like this writer, having another sole to swap out is essential.

That said, these sneakers don't come cheap at RM499 per pair across the board. If you're buying one of these, remember that they're leather shoes that are made with particular attention to detail. No idea how well these will last, but if we find our pair disintegrating within the next 6 months, we'll be sure to report on it.

The ladies Anytime flats on the other hand came in many varieties and when we asked Benny, he revealed that there are more than 100 designs for the flats at the moment. About 60% of which are seasonal and 40% are evergreen.

It's a 90/10 split right now between the designs for women and men so ladies do enjoy a bevy of options.

Alongside the flats and sneakers, Anothersole has also recently launched their range of ANEW bags; tote bags in three sizes that are machine washable and completely made with recycled materials and a line of sandals called ANEW Marshmallow (RM250) that are about as soft and squishy as it sounds to wear.

Taking inspiration from the TOMS model of doing good with business, Anothersole donates a portion of their profits to World Vision and has to date donated a total of SGD200,000 (MYR697,000) to them.

Their guiding principle is "Make Good, Do Good" and with the #Buy1Feed1, Anothersole makes sure you know that with each purchase, you're helping to feed one child through World Vision.

We asked Benny about the strategy of Anothersole in Malaysia and if we should expect more retail outlets opening. He shared that they will "Go where the customers are" and shared that Anothersole has a presence in east, west, north, and south of Singapore and that retail accounts for nearly 60% of sales now.

The Malaysian Anothersole retail outlet is located at the luxury department store, Seibu and he shared that their first retail outlet in Singapore was also in a department store, so there's a bit of a poetic coincidence in how their planning to approach the Malaysian market. Depending on the popularity of the brand in Malaysia, they may increase their presence in more outlets, or serve Malaysians online.