TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei was joined at the firm’s annual Sports Day event by Nvidia’s Jensen Huang this weekend. However, to our surprise, Wei’s footwear managed to upstage any Jensanity. Wei's custom-made TSMC-branded sneakers were “the focus of the audience” at the event, according to an ‘exclusive’ Mirror News report (associated video in Mandarin Chinese, embedded below).
獨家／魏哲家「tsmc鞋」是MIT！ 台廠：8年前向張忠謀提案｜#鏡新聞 - YouTube Watch On
According to the source, Wei thought these unique running shoes were a gift from the company. However, later in the report, an interview with a shoemaker from Kaohsiung, the biggest city in the south of the island, reveals that the shoes worn by Wei were part of a business pitch made back in 2017.
The Kaohsiung shoemaker was reportedly quite taken aback to see his TSMC sneakers highlighted by the media this weekend. Mirror News says the man felt "shocked" and "super surprised" (machine translation) when the sneakers caught the attention of Sports Day attendees this weekend.
Holding aloft detailed cobbling plans for the sneakers, the shoemaker alleged that he sent the sample, as worn by Wei, to then-Chairman Morris Chang, as part of a business proposal eight years ago. Like TSMC silicon, the maker of the sneakers seems proud that their footwear is still Made in Taiwan (MIT). Many rivals have moved a lot of production to China to reduce costs.
We can’t vouch for the sneaker quality, but we guess they still look like new after eight years in storage. The news video says that they feature special stitching for 10-year sole adhesion durability.
Both TSMC’s Wei and the Kaohsiung shoemaking firm hinted that a closer collaboration may be on the way. The TSMC boss told reporters that sneakers with the company branding may become official merchandise in the future. Meanwhile, the MIT shoemaker says he has plans to put together a new proposal for TSMC’s consideration.
We hope the TSMC sneakers collab goes ahead this time. Shoes are super-collectible and sought after. Tech giants and sports brands have had particularly rich partnerships, like Microsoft (Xbox) & Adidas, Apple & Nike, Nintendo & Puma, plus Sony (PlayStation) & Nike.
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The footwear would join plenty of other unlikely collaborative products available in the factory shops at TSMC facilities. In recent years, we have reported on TSMC-branded merchandise like snacks, honey, dumb-phones, suitcases, and there are various bags, cups, and more that you can find being sold on online marketplaces like Shopee in Taiwan – useful for those without TSMC employee retail access.
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