Italian Look, Malaysian Made: The Bomba Shoes That Turned Heads

By Lucia Terey John

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 (Bernama) -- Sleek stitching, polished leather and a design often mistaken for high-end Italian craftsmanship, yet the shoes in question are made in Malaysia and cost just over RM200.

Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming recently turned heads at a local coffee shop when he was spotted wearing what appeared to be designer footwear, only for it to be revealed as homegrown ‘Bomba shoes’, popular among Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) personnel.

The moment came to light after renowned landscape architect Ng Sek San, seated at a nearby table, assumed Nga was wearing expensive Italian shoes and mentioned it to friends.

To his surprise, Nga overheard the conversation, stopped by and removed his shoes to show the Malaysian brand, Footlink.

Ng later shared the encounter on Facebook, where the post quickly went viral.

The shoes, designed by a Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) engineering graduate, are medical-grade and commonly sold through health institutions, including the National Heart Institute (IJN).

Despite their premium appearance, they retail at an accessible price and are widely used by JBPM officers, hence the nickname Bomba shoes.

Nga, who also serves as President of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, said he has worn the shoes since 2023 to show solidarity with fire and rescue personnel and to support locally made products.

In a statement to Bernama, he said the MADANI government supports not only products ‘Made in Malaysia’ but also those ‘Made by Malaysia’.

“I have shown leadership by example to promote local products and manifest solidarity with our Bomba all the time. I hope this small moment helps raise awareness of local innovation and encourages Malaysians to take pride in our quality products,” he said.

-- BERNAMA