7 women entrepreneurs and their footwear brands that are helping fashionistas put their best foot forward

Every girl can relate to Carrie Bradshaw’s footwear obsession in the popular TV series Sex and the City, even if her tastes veered towards the more expensive Blahniks and Louboutins. Heels make you feel tall and sexy but can also cause discomfort, so shoes are not just about style and design but also about comfort and affordability. And some women have set out to find the right balance of style and comfort with their startups and have gone on to run successful footwear brands. These include traditional footwear such as juttis to contemporary casual, party and  workwear, as well as those for special days like one’s wedding.

Here are seven women entrepreneurs who have managed to get a foot in the door of the massive footwear industry in India:

Veruschka’s Payal Kothari

Payal Kothari is a footwear designer and has been into design and manufacturing of footwear since 2002. Having studied Art of Accessory Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York and apprenticed with brands such as Nina Shoes, and Delman, she went on to study advanced shoe making in Florence, Italy.

Based out of Mumbai she started Veruschka in 2009. An international  designer footwear luxury brand, Veruschka caters to all kinds of footwear needs including bridal wear. They have bespoke shoes for brides and clients with special requests.

Monrow’s Veena Ashiya

Bengaluru-based Monrow was founded in 2016 by Veena Ashiya. An alumnus of NIFT, Bengaluru, Veena’s love for shoes led her to start up. Her idea was to offer shoes that looked and felt great at affordable rates. They sell online through partners like Myntra, Flipkart, and Amazon, and retail across different locations in India such as Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

Kanabis’ Devika Srimal

Launched in 2015 by Devika Srimal, Kanabis is a non-leather, cruelty-free, fashionable yet comfortable footwear brand for women. They are based out of Delhi.

The name of the brand, Kanabis is interesting. Historically, canvas was made from hemp, which is the cannabis plant (from which marijuana comes). A little creative wordplay led to the creation of a catchy yet not-so-controversial version of the name: Kanabis.

The Sole Sisters’s Chondamma Cariappa

Given her army background, Chondamma Cariappa has lived across India and has been an avid traveller. In 2014 she clubbed her love for shoes and travel and started her footwear label ‘The Sole Sisters’.

She started with a Facebook album named ‘Fetish’ where she would post pictures of shoes from various parts of the world that she came across while travelling. The album turned into a blog, ‘The Sole Sisters’, and the response she received pushed her to start the footwear label.

Drawing inspiration for traditional crafts and earthy culture, TSS has a range of footwear in multiple colours and designs. The completely handcrafted shoes blend traditional motifs and fabrics with contemporary styles and designs. Chondamma has done pop-up stores in different countries outside India as well.

NeedleDust’s Shirin Mann Sangha

NeedleDust has handcrafted leather juttis with handwoven embroidery.  Launched in 2014 by Shirin Mann Sangha, it is available offline through select stores in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. The brand has some of the top names in Bollywood as its client.

A journalist turned entrepreneur, Shirin started NeedleDust as an outcome of her own wedding. Shirin didn’t want to pair her lehenga with stilettos by traditional Punjabi juttis and went to great pains to get one made for herself, and in that process when she spoke with craftsmen and artisans she realised this was something she had to pursue.

Pastels and Pop’s Neha, Akanksha and Aarti Chhabra

Three sisters based in Bengaluru realised that there was a need for juttis in South India and decided to fill that gap with Pastels and Pop, inspired by their home-state, Punjab. They have a variety of handcrafted juttis, which a lot of celebrities have been wearing.  Their products are available on their website and other retail stores such as Aashni and Co., Wedding Brigade, and Trendroots.

The Haelli’s Neha Sahu  

Neha Sahu completed her engineering degree in 2010 but pursued her love for art and design and once painted a pair of juttis for herself. When she realised that it was a hit with her family and friends she decided to start ‘The Haelli” in 2016, based out of Gurgaon. She has her own selling platform where all the products are available.  

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