All Shoe-Hoarders Please Read On...

We all have had that favourite blouse or kurta which we can't give up wearing. And we parted with it with a heavy heart. But the next time you need to say goodbye to clothes that adorned your wardrobe, or you find yourself wondering what you can do with a leftover piece of cloth from your brocade blouse. Or simply you have a fetish for shoes. Checkout Feeta on Instagram.

Amrita Arneja has found a way to revive these old fabrics into colourful sassy shoes! Her Insta brand Feeta turns used clothes into Handcrafted shoes. We meet the Arneja to know more about her made-to-order shoes.

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How did Feeta start-up?

I am an avid shoe lover, I always wanted to experiment with footwear. It took me a while to realize. I started looking for vendors in 2014 but was not successful, and then I looked for a job and let my idea aside for some time. Again in 2016, I had that urge to establish my startup and have a brand of my own. After a long search, I finally found a perfect vendor who had the right ability to convert my idea and imagination into that perfect pair of footwear. The most difficult part was finding the right fabric.

Amrita Arneja

Turning blouse or kurta into fabric shoes, was it inspired from any personal space?

I guess, my mother’s business of customized traditional clothing & home furnishings made me fall in love with fabrics and its diversified use.

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What market gap are you trying to address through this enterprise?

I have seen after studying Fashion, one ends up opening a clothing line. There are not many shoe labels that cater to all kinds of market, but I am making shoes which can be worn by anyone who can carry them and they are very decently priced so that fills the gap of having designer shoes at a good price.

I always wanted to own a clothing label. But as you know it is a common perception to notice the shoes before clothes, so I thought why not experiment with something different using my designing skills.

Tell us about your future plans

I would like to make Feeta a popular footwear brand for designer shoes using resources available in India.

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What is your core passion and long-term vision behind the brainchild?

I want to use the different kinds of fabrics available in India, revive the dying weaves and make beautiful shoes out of them.

Feeta is very new and right now I am the only one working with my kaarigars. The idea is to employ more and more women workers.

What has been your most touching or amazing moment you've experienced in the business? Any achievements you want to share with our readers?

I  started Feeta with my own savings. So the most amazing moment was when I received my first order. The client had faith in me, she was very happy with her order.

How many orders do you get on a monthly basis? Is the demand growing?

Since it’s a new brand, I get around 10-12 orders a month and yes, the demand is growing.

Love for different fabrics and experimenting with them led to this quirky design idea.

How would you differentiate your efforts from others? 

Everyone has their unique skill set that they bring into their startup. What is different about my efforts is that I started Feeta when I still had a job. Juggling between the two was difficult, but I kept working harder.

Challenges are a part and parcel of every workplace. Working hard every day to minimize the challenges and being successful is the plan.

What are the traits you use for the betterment of this initiation?

Being loyal and not taking any shortcuts are the traits I believe in. This way, the customers are also satisfied with the end product.

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How would you rate the footwear chains that need to display more responsibility?

I would want the footwear chains to be more responsible towards their product's comfort. Not everything which is expensive is good.

Any future plans include in regional areas and working with artisans, craftsman?

Yes, I am going to work with artisans and craftsmen of the dying weaves to revive them and create beautiful shoes out of it.

Designing is a beautiful field as it brings out the creative talents hidden inside you. If you feel about it strongly go ahead and do it.

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