Ethnic footwear line Needledust has put a very distinctive stamp on Indian fashion, thanks to Shirin Mann Sangha, Founder and Creative Head of a brand beloved by Bollywood.
In 2014, when the future designer was getting married, she wanted to wear juttis at her wedding. Not exactly the traditional choice, but in her own words:
“I have admired my mother wearing juttis since I was a child, and have loved the craft. But the first experiment happened when I was getting married and realized the dearth of beautiful, pop colour juttis, I decided to design my own wedding pair which adorned ghungroos, that is the evolution of NEEDLEDUST.”
Shirin Mann Sanga: vision turned into a business
That vision turned into a business, then into a high-end, high-fashion brand. Today, Ms. Sangha has turned the distinctively desi jutti into a fashion statement for the likes of Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai Bacchan, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Sara Ali Khan.
So how did she do it? Well, a lot of this has to do with the craftsmanship involved. Jutti making is considered by some to be a dying art, as is said of many heritage crafts practiced by traditional Indian artisans. Moreover, though the Punjabi jutti has noble, even royal origins, dating back to the North Indian kings of 400 years ago, they are not usually considered the ultra-fashionable go-to option for formal events. Designed for comfort, the jutti doesn’t even have a right or left shoe of the pair, but is made to mould into the exact shape of the wearer’s feet over time.
Needledust prides themselves on the handmade aesthetic, from the meticulous stitching, to the gorgeous embroidery, to the elaborate embellishments that are added at the end. But the comfort de luxe is also a factor.
The brand has made a name for itself with quirky and bright summer designs that go equally well with Indian ethnic clothes and casual Western wear, as seen in their design line Summer Berry Picnic. But when Deepika Padukone wore Needledust to the 33 years of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla show, her shoes were covered with shimmering pearls. Embroidered with crystals, mirrors and variants of white and cream pearls, the back of the shoe carried a heavy tassel of graded pearls as well. There’s no mistaking the message here. Juttis are being worn by the new Indian royalty, and they are redefining regal splendor for the world.
Another recent offshoot of the brand is into a similar style of shoe, which Needledust is calling the vegan mule. This is clearly designed to reach a certain level of international market recognition for the brand, and perhaps elevate a female Indian fashion entrepreneur to the status of a global designer, who still keeps her desi aesthetic at the forefront. Not bad going, for the girl who only wanted to wear her mother’s favorite shoes at her own wedding! Best foot forward to Shirin Mann Sangha, who turned a childhood dream into a business brand, and seems ready to take over the world…
