Company Profile

Nautical Concept was founded by Edison Lee, a trained Marine Engineer and Naval Officer, on 17th December 1994.

Prior to this, Edison worked for 5 years as the General Manager of the company that marketed Dr. Martens shoes, a job that allowed him to travel extensively throughout the region. In his experiences abroad, he observed that women the world over had 1 common obsession - they all loved shoes!

Once set up, Nautical promptly firmed up distribution deals for a wide portfolio of international brands, including:

- Johnston & Murphy

- Shelleys

- Nose

- Fornarina

- Baldinini

During the Asian Financial Crisis, Edison decided that having complete control of his products’ designs, merchandising and retailing concepts was the most ideal was of ensuring that Nautical remained relevant to its target markets. As such, he started working with a variety of Italian and Spanish designers, creating his own brands – JWest and Passporte.

Never one to settle for less than the best, Edison demanded that every product be consistent with the brand's persona – stylish, innovative and well-made.

Despite facing numerous challenges and obstacles, Nautical soon became known for providing shoes with contemporary styling, innovative designs and quality craftmanship.

Today, Nautical Concept has expanded beyond her own office and distribution centre, with operating offices in Malaysian and Indonesia. In Singapore, the company owns 4 flagship boutiques and 20 over concessionaire counters in key departmental stores like Takashimaya, Isetan, Tangs and Robinsons.

Plans for the future include a fully pledged design and merchandising centre in Singapore, as well as flagship boutiques in Shanghai and the Philippines.