THE SHOE THAT FITS
THE SHOE THAT FITS
ROHAN ARORA is the man behind the brand that
tailors high-end luxury footwear for global markets.
Launched at Lakme Fashion Week in September 2010 with the collection ‘Naya Daur’, Rohan Arora’s eponymous label has been on the market for around 13 years now. The brand, a first to showcase footwear at the fashion week, unveiled their collection consisting of high-heeled boots and flat lace-ups with Hindi film posters hand-painted on them. In conversation with Bridal Asia, Arora shares that he never learnt shoe-making formally, and acquired most of his skills from shoe-making at a roadside workshop in Kolkata. By the time he decided to launch his own brand, the vision was clear: to create high-end luxury footwear for global markets. The brand, whose shoes are adorned by the likes of Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Hardik Pandya, and members of royal families across the globe, claims that it has never restricted itself when it comes to the possibilities of designing. And in doing so, he and his team have found many creative ways to play with elements. For instance, in one of their collections, they converted wooden table legs into heels. In addition to this, they have been the pioneers of hand-painted shoes in the country and have employed various techniques, such as nakashi on the wooden heels, a technique for which they specially flew down artisans from Kashmir. Talking about their most unique design yet, Arora shares, “We created one of our most creative designs in 2011, where we added detachable heels so that the shoes could be worn as flats or as heels!”
The brand has achieved many feats and believes in the need to bring back the real craft of shoemaking, “using obsolete techniques possible only by the human hand in a world of sterile modernisation…,” Arora remarks. Addressing the concerns of customers who complain of the discomfort that comes with wearing luxury footwear, the brand ensures that the linings are made of the softest leather. These are supplemented with insoles made from the highest grade of foam and other softening chemicals. The result: the shoes practically hug the customers feet.
Customisation is a forte for Rohan Arora—case in point, a pair of bespoke wedding sandals that was created for a royal family member from Rajasthan with ancestral rubies. Arora shares, “You can select the design of one shoe, the heel of another, the embroidery of the third, and the colour of the fourth. Also, the sizes are also customizable, from half sizes to quarter sizes as well.” It’s well known that the shoes can make or break your look. But during the wedding festivities, wearing a comfortable pair is even more important as the bride and groom need to be on their feet for extended periods
of time. “Given the weight of the outfits of the bride and the bridegroom, like lehengas and sherwanis, the entire onus
of the outfit lies on the shoes,” Arora opines. He believes that, by default, the shoes become the most important element of the entire attire.
Elaborating on the most important trends for brides, Arora remarks, “The most important trend for brides is comfort. That should be their priority.” Apart from that, he notes that trends like flat juttis in red and gold and block heel sandals in champagne and nude are on the rise. “Embroidered sneakers can make any outfit look cool!” Arora states. As for menswear, he reflects, “Nothing beats a pair of zardozi-embroidered mojris or zardozi-embroidered velvet slip-ons.”
