White sneakers: Put your best foot forward

Chinese warrior

Remember the Warrior shoes (or huili xie in Chinese) worn by Orlando Bloom? This 90-year-old shoe brand has marched successfully onto the international fashion stage. Elle magazine in France even wrote a story about this design traveling all the way from Shanghai. In China, Warrior shoes, which were once working-class footwear, embody a nostalgic sentiment. They sell for less than 100 yuan ($15) online, but 25 times more in Europe when the market is most in demand.