A giant, racy-red motorised stiletto is not what you expect to see cruising down the avenues of Iran’s capital but it certainly attracts attention, and business, for intrepid shoe-shine man “Aliwaxima”.
“I am the only shoe shine man in the country who works from his vehicle,” says 42-year-old Mohamed Ali Hassan Khani, his real name, who could pass for a bespoke tailor on Savile Row with his immaculate shirt, sober tie and—of course—spick-and-span loafers.
He even has fans in this city of nearly 13mn residents little used to public flights of fancy like his motorised high-heel.
Be they on foot, car or motorcycle, people stop in awe and clamour for selfies both in and outside the three-wheeled fibreglass stiletto.
“Eight years ago, I decided to create a vehicle from which to propose my services as a shoe shiner,” he explained, in language as elegant as his dress.
His business moniker merges his name and the English word “wax” tweaked into an Iranian superlative to give “Aliwaxima”, the man who gives the best shine.
In sync with digital times, Ali has customer service 2.0 down pat. He carries a mobile phone, of course, for client calls but also has an Internet site, an Instagram account and a Facebook page—with scores and scores of friends—featuring his red high heel as the cover photo.
Daringly, he has displayed these addresses on his vehicle, notably the one for Facebook, a site officially blocked in Iran.
And on the driver’s side is the understated slogan, “The first shoe shape car in Iran”.
“It’s wonderful,” raved an onlooker spotting Aliwaxima for the first time while another asked if it was an ad for a brand of shoes.
After working the streets of central Tehran for 18 years, Ali is, however, known to many.
“At first, I had a simple, three-wheel motorised scooter. Then I gave it the form of a man’s loafer. Three months ago I decided to change this to a red high heel,” he says.
“And I have a lot more clients since. More than 1,500 people follow me on Instagram.
“Before, I had mainly men clients but now I also have women clients encouraging me.”
The idea came from abroad after Ali saw pictures of giant shoes used to advertise shoeshine stands. “But they were not motorised,” he notes with a mischievous glance behind his dark glasses.
It took him two-and-a-half months to build the red stiletto shape and “people adore my vehicle. They love to sit in it and take photos.”
It also turned into a wise—and lucrative—business move.
“I have all sorts of new requests. I’ve already been asked to five marriages. The newlyweds have their pictures taken in my car.