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It's minimalist, deliberately understated and already on its way to becoming a cult brand. It is tobe, a new trainer brand and the antithesis of multicoloured big brand sneakers.

Three years in development tobe is the brainchild of four Wellington men - Victoria University design lecturer Lee Gibson, Mike Wilson, and brothers Paul and Tim Brown, All White and Phoenix player.

People's instant reaction when hearing the name - pronounced "to be" - is to recite the line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, "to be or not to be", and that's a pretty good assessment, says Gibson.

"It's about reaching for something, setting goals and striving for them."

The buzz surrounding the brand - which has been three years in the making - preceded its official "worldwide debut" party in the capital last week, with invitations controversially and boldly stating "the Chuck is dead".

Black or white, with blue or same- colour soles, and made of canvas or leather, the shoes come in three styles. Unlike the big-shot labels, branding is discreet, limited to a calendar-style code printed on a tag sewn on the tongue.

Customers have the option of clipping the tag by punching small holes in the leather. Gibson explains it's a way of personalising the shoe to the individual.

"We want people to attach their own story to it. By keeping it stripped back, there is a layer to the personalisation you can have.

"The label is our code but you can have your own code. When you buy the shoes, you can choose to clip them or not," Gibson says.

The shoes are deliberately minimalist, in part a reaction against the brightly coloured brands on the market. Plus, the tobe team were also passionate about producing a line of trainers that are uniquely Kiwi.

While the original plan was to manufacture the shoes here, that proved not to be viable, so they are being made in Indonesia.

With the shoes designed to improve the more they are worn and scuffed up, Gibson says it was a challenge to educate the manufacturer that they wanted to see the grain, texture and flaws on the leather.

"They're used to producing footwear with no flaws or defects. We wanted it to read like a natural material, not a synthetic," Gibson says.

"Shoes also don't stay white and brand-new forever. We think they look better when they are worn in and get marks and dust on them."

In fact, the team has been photographing shoe samples on a week- by-week basis to document how they wear and have "a crazy idea of offering a service to wear your shoes in for you".

"People can specify if they want them to look brand new, a week old or a month old, though we're pretty sure we won't get any takers, but the idea of shoes is to be worn," he says. "We've been treating these quite nastily and we think they're getting better."

The leather styles are made from Whanganui cowhide and all shoes, including the canvas styles, are leather lined, creating a "luxe" point of difference.

A proportioning system has been used to design three styles - 0.6 low cut, 1.0 mid and 1.6 high top - with 10 variants in white canvas and black and white leather, including patent.

Ruben Bryant, of Wellington store Good As Gold, which is picking up the brand, reckons a Kiwi brand sneaker is pretty special.

"I've been seeing it grow over the past two years, watching them refining the product. These guys have really worked on the details. It's a polished finished product for a first range."

He says tobe's debut range is "spot on" with what's happening in the footwear and fashion world right now. "Right from the start, I've said, 'Yes, we want to sell them.' We've had people asking. The word is out there that there is something new from Wellington, which is cool."

THE DETAILS

Prices range from $185 for a 0.6 canvas trainer to $285 for a black Whanganui leather high top. The shoes are available in Wellington from Good As Gold, Victoria St, and online at goodasgold.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News