BENGALURU: We have always wanted to give something back to the society with what we love to do – making juttis,” says Akanksha Chhabra, co-founder of Pastel and Pops, a city-based brand specialising in the traditional footwear. Chhbara and her sister and partner, Aarti Chhabra, have followed the same belief, to come up with a campaign called Labor of Love, wherein all the proceeds from the sale of their new collections will go towards helping the migrant workers.
The duo has launched four collections post lockdown, two of which came this month. “We decided to club it all together and put them under the Labor of Love tag to reach a larger number,” says Akanksha, adding that all the juttis listed under the campaign come with a badge on their site. Unlike their other collections, these ones carry simpler designs and are made of printed fabric.
So what makes their latest collection so special? “The starting price of our juttis is usually Rs 2,300 but the new ones are priced at Rs 2,000 per pair. It works both ways, as girls prefer subtle designs these days, and the price is also reduced,” says Akanksha, whose client list include actors like Sonam Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Tapsee Pannu and Malaika Arora.
For the last four years, the siblings have also been working with Aahwahan Foundation, which has worked for the marginalised communities. “We had worked with them to give ration kits to migrant workers in Goripalya, Tyagrajnagar, etc. The ration lasted for seven days. But now we are working towards helping migrant workers with travel expenses for their journey to their native places,” says Akanksha.
Admitting that their business has taken a hug hit due to the pandemic, she says they are slowly coping with the new normal.
“Production was stopped for almost two months, and many of our karigars also went back home. Also, being located close to a contaminated zone, we didn’t want to take chances either. But now we are back at work with all the precautions taken,” says Akanksha, who co-founded the brand in 2015 along with her sister with an objective of redefining the grace and grandeur of the traditional juttis with a modern touch.