“Fashion is pain”, as they say. That is the motto that many fashion-conscious women live by as they hobble down the streets daily in their pointed-toe stilettos.

Yet this phrase doesn’t exist in British-born designer Paul Andrew’s dictionary.

As a firm believer that shoes have to look as good as they feel, the 34-year old footwear veteran has been creating shoes that offer craftsmanship and comfort since the launch of his eponymous line in 2013.

Andrew, who graduated as an honours student from England’s Berkshire College Art & Design in 1999 and won top honours at London’s Graduate Fashion Week in the same year, embarked on a soaring journey as he apprenticed at Alexander McQueen, followed by Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.

The British designer was once again in the spotlight in the New York fashion scene as his namesake brand was crowned the 2014 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. Not only did his company, just two years old at the time, became the youngest brand to claim the prize, Andrew is also the first shoe designer and Brit to receive the coveted award.

The footwear artisan visited our city earlier this month to celebrate his new Hong Kong-inspired collection with On Pedder. He tells us about his favourite things in Hong Kong, what makes this new series stand out from his past collections and what makes a pair of great shoes:

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I visited Hong Kong for the first time last January and was taken aback by the vibrancy and modernity of the city, juxtaposed with its incredibly rich history – every time I visit I'm more and more inspired. 

I always make time to visit the Man Mo temple, to walk along Hollywood Road for antique shopping, then grab a cup of tea and ginger scone at Teakha. 

I have so many favorites in my new collection - it's like asking a mother to pick her favorite child! But I do love the Tianjin wedge in black canvas and gold cork. It's definitely a fashion statement, but it's actually quite versatile and can be worn from day to night. 

Each season I take a city as inspiration for my collection. Last season was New York, and this season it is Hong Kong. What's interesting about this concept is that each collection becomes utterly unique, as I attempt to reflect the spirit and culture of the selected city.

This season I worked with several detailed textures, jacquards and applications, inspired by vintage fabrics and traditional Chinese artisan techniques. These details can be seen all over the collection from the 'Manhattan' pump in imperial yellow chinoiserie silk, the hand-cut metallic leather flowers on the 'Flora' sandal, to the ivory organza flowers adorning the 'Bijoux' bootie. 

For my personal wardrobe, I typically wear the same few designers; Dries Van Noten, Paul Smith, Valentino and Theory. 

Shoes should make the foot look beautiful, but simultaneously the fit should be perfect. But I think above all, a shoe needs to perform in your life - from the boardroom to a cocktail lounge to the city streets - so there needs to be a careful attention to not only how they look, but how they feel.

My shoes are adventurous, sexy, and colorful, but they are each engineered in such a way as to make them simultaneously comfortable.

Pairing the right shoe with the right outfit, while paying sophisticated attention to colour, fabrication, and proportion, are key considerations in putting together the perfect look. But even more than that, a shoe can change the way you walk, the way you carry yourself.

If you're wearing an elegant evening gown, you want a shoe that gives you lift, but won't prevent you from dancing with your man.

If you're in a summery dress, you want an espadrille that maybe gives you a little height, but allows you to chase after your children in the park.

One must always pick a shoe based on what you need to do that day coupled with how you want to look. 

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Scroll through the gallery below for the best picks of Paul Andrew's Hong Kong-inspired Collection: