The Saree Sneakers: Where Indian Craftsmanship Meets Sneaker Culture
Indian weddings can be beautiful and brutal: the sangeet, the baarat, and all the ensuing events are nothing less than a festival. The undisputable rule being your attire has to match the vibe. But what about comfort? Why should well-being be sacrificed at the altar of style? This is a dilemma that Shruti Kasat confronted, like many of us.
Add to that running behind a child with unhinged energy fuelled by sugar and excitement, and weddings were a constant compromise, with comfort winning every single time.
Choosing sneakers for work, parties, and almost everything else became a rhythmic ritual performed at regular intervals and one day her mind buzzed with the idea – Wasn’t there a better alternative? She desperately hunted for shoes suitable for parties, weddings, and formal events, leading her to create The Saree Sneakers.
She ditched the high heels, creating shoes which infused ease and style, birthing the perfect combination for different occasions.
Indian Craftsmanship Meets Comfort:
The brainchild of Shruti Kasat, The Saree Sneakers officially launched in 2019. As an NIFT Kolkata Alumni who also has a Master's in Fashion from DOMUS Milan, Kasat possesses a considerable understanding of the fashion industry. She confesses that her burgeoning passion for sneakers was ‘kindled in her own wardrobe.’
Based in Kolkata, the brand focuses on amalgamating Indian hand embroidery with everyday sneaker comfort. Think bridal-worthy craftsmanship, zardozi, sequins, chikankari and mirror work, on footwear you can actually dance in for hours.
Apart from comfort, a huge part of their mission is about preserving Indian artisanal work, whose presence in the mainstream market is slowly fading away. Their sneakers are the perfect way to give traditional techniques a modern platform, helping newer generations connect with them.
Along with that, the focus is on creating fashion that feels deeply personal and expressive. Shruti recollects one of the favourite compliments of her customers.
“I finally found shoes that feel like me,”
Building a New Category in Occasion Wear:
Largely self-funded and bootstrapped from the first day, it required a lean and organic approach. No massive advertising campaigns, no celebrity endorsement, no extravagant product placement strategy forced them to focus on brand identity while creating premium quality handcrafted products that people genuinely connect with.
The main problem of starting something trailblazing or new is creating awareness. It’s a problem the Saree Sneakers struggled with, as many people couldn’t wrap their heads around this concept. Sneakers were seen as casual wear, and convincing people that they belonged at a wedding was an uphill task.
Practical struggles of developing handmade products also crept in, where every embroidery placement, every artisan technique, every fit trial takes time. Being a niche product meant educating people before selling anything.
That said, occasion wear sneakers are slowly seeping into mainstream conversations. But perhaps it hints at something larger, a pivot in fashion where one doesn’t have to sacrifice comfort for self-expression or vice versa.
Over the years, the brand has expanded across multiple platforms, including Myntra, Aza Fashions, Nykaa Fashion and Tata Cliq, while also retailing through leading stores across India.
Speaking about the perseverance it takes to nurture a brand, Shruti beautifully portrayed the hard yards it takes to cultivate one.
‘I’ve also learned that building a brand is a marathon, not a launch post. Some days you’re designing shoes, some days you’re solving courier issues, some days you’re shooting content with safety pins and zero sleep! Entrepreneurship is glamorous for approximately 7 minutes.’
Her premier advice for anyone commencing their entrepreneurship journey is to start before you feel fully ready. Clarity comes from doing, not from overthinking. Occasion wear has seen a significant boom, aided by e-commerce and advancements in digital technologies.
In a world with a gazillion options, the Saree Sneakers are creating something wholesome, something that can aptly portray your individuality and provide comfort, so that in the age of the gram you don’t have to compromise on your glam.