Every time she looks down at her shoe, a smile surfaces. If that doesn’t happen, Shirin Mann Sangha gets a pang of apprehension. Every shoe this 32-year-old crafts under her label Needledust aims not just for happy feet but also a happy heart. With her maiden venture into mules, a footwear segment with a signature Needledust keenness, she reverses the rules of design once again.
Sangha keeps a watchful eye on trends but never follows them. It’s just to trace what’s being done and then to do the opposite. For instance, every motif you see on her shoe faces the wearer and not the onlooker, contrary to what fashion students are taught. “The shoes are for you, not the world. You have to enjoy them first,” she says.
The new stock has come in celebration of Delhi’s glorious monsoon, in addition to Needledust’s fifth anniversary. “Mules have been the prerogative of luxury brands such as Gucci, Dior, and others such as Aldo and Charles and Keith. India needed its mules and now they are here,” she says.
To begin with, their structural profile, material and craftsmanship are diametrically opposite to juttis, in addition to them having an international, contemporary bearing to them. “We’ve given specialised necklines and styles that are exclusive to our brand. There are three styles namely straight, that gives ample coverage in the front; curve that has shorter coverage and gets curved from the toes; and peak which has a V shape,” says Sangha.
The material composition is Vegan Italian faux leather with 70 per cent Polyurethane resin and 30 per cent fabric, with hand-embroidery and embellishments. It’s a import. This ensures durability in rains. There are three formal shoes namely Diana with pears set on cream, white and baby pink base. Opera has an ivory base with lustrous black embroidery, and Jazz comes in teal grey with elongated beads.
There is also a collaborative piece with silver and gold sequin work by designer duo Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla called Sona, in addition to another one named Spring Blossom. “You’ll see a lot of different elements going on in this collection. This is standard practise because my target group is not set. So embroideries like Aztec and floral patterns across modern, bohemian and even classical designs have been executed,” she says.