Menswear Style Podcast

Evren Ozka, Co-Founder of Mallet London / Luxury Footwear

Menswear Style Episode 224

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0:00 | 28:06

In this episode of the Menswear Style Podcast, we speak with Evren Özkan, co-founder of Mallet London, the progressive British footwear and lifestyle brand that has carved out a distinctive position between premium streetwear and accessible luxury.

Founded around a decade ago, Mallet London was built around a simple idea: create well-designed, high-quality footwear with a strong urban identity, while offering consumers an alternative to the increasingly expensive world of luxury sneakers.

Evren’s route into the business began with the family manufacturing company, where he spent the first years of his career learning the industry from the ground up. After leaving school at 16, he joined his father’s business and initially spent long days unloading lorries before moving into the offices and eventually relocating to Turkey, where much of the manufacturing operation was based.

That experience proved invaluable. Working directly with factories, materials and garment construction gave Evren a practical understanding of how products are made, while a subsequent role in international sales saw him take the company from having virtually no overseas business to generating around £20 million in international sales.

We explore how those experiences ultimately provided the foundation for Mallet London. Evren explains how he transferred his manufacturing and commercial knowledge into footwear, finding factories willing to work with a new brand and producing an initial collection of just 40–50 pairs.

The brand launched at a particularly interesting moment for footwear, as the premium sneaker market was beginning to take shape. Evren explains how Mallet positioned itself between high-end luxury brands and sportswear giants such as Nike and adidas, offering a more accessible price point without compromising on design or quality.

We also discuss the importance of understanding different international markets. Evren shares lessons from his time working across Europe, the US and Asia, and why colours, prints and silhouettes that perform well in one country can behave very differently in another.

The conversation looks closely at Mallet’s design language too. Many of the brand’s styles take their names from areas of North and East London, reflecting the founders’ roots, while the collection continues to evolve through a combination of urban influences, premium materials and increasingly sophisticated silhouettes.

Collaboration has become another major part of the Mallet story. Evren discusses partnerships with brands including Transport for London, Reebok and Smiley, explaining how the company assesses potential collaborations and why each partnership needs to make sense for both audiences rather than simply generating attention.

We also hear about Mallet’s expansion beyond sneakers. With a growing clothing range and a newly launched formal footwear collection featuring Chelsea boots, penny loafers and monk shoes, the brand is beginning to position itself as an accessible-luxury lifestyle label rather than purely a sneaker company.

Evren explains the thinking behind that move and why he believes there is room for more innovation in formal footwear, particularly at a price point between traditional luxury and the mass market.

The conversation also touches on Mallet’s international growth, Evren’s life between London and Dubai, and why the Middle East has become such an important market for the brand, with a growing presence across Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain.

And, naturally, the interview takes an unexpected turn into James Bond territory, with the pair discussing whether Mallet’s distinctive new formal shoe hardware could one day become the perfect home for some suitably Bond-inspired technology.

A fascinating conversation about entrepreneurship, manufacturing, international expansion, footwear design, collaboration and the evolution of Mallet London from a small collection of sneakers into a rapidly growing global brand.

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