Giving a quick peek into her Fine Couture Footwear store, qualified architect Nidhi Bhandari tells Tania Roy how she is exploring and enjoying her shoe-designing skills

The yellow shoe with stone embellishments magnetically draws you to the shelf displaying this funky pair at the footwear store to be launched in Koregaon Park tomorrow. Moccasins are not hard to find but you might find it tough to lay your hands on an unconventional pair you’ve always fancied. Pune gal Nidhi Bhandhari, who hails from the reputed BU Bhandari family and has undoubtedly inherited the business genes, is offering limited edition of handcrafted shoes at her store Fine Couture Footwear. Rococo Funk and Autumn Splash are the styles she is showcasing this season.

The young shoemaker’s entrepreneurial journey is interesting, more so because she has made the transition from a technical field to a creative one. A qualified architect, Bhandari decided to fulfill her dreams of handcrafting shoes while she was undertaking her five-year Bachelor of Architecture. “Since a very young age I have been clued into shoes. I have always been advising my mom and aunts on their shoe shopping,” says the pretty, petite youngster.

If you are thinking that her BArch degree has been a waste, you could be wrong. Bhandari agrees that there is a lot of science and art into shoe making. “All that learning in architecture has helped me design shoes better. Just like a building needs a strong foundation, a heel needs a robust base,” iterates she and adds that the most challenging task of shoe making is to place the fabric on the last (a mould around which the shoe is fashioned) and then pulling out the last. Bhandari’s work is even tougher because she handcrafts her shoes.
The art of Reinventing

To learn shoe-making, Bhandari pursued three short-term courses, namely ‘designing’, ‘shoe-making’ and ‘how to start a business’, at London College of Fashion. Sharing her experience about the course, she says, “I did short summer courses during which we were given a theme. Then we developed a design and built a product. I took inspiration from the Arabian Nights, and used a lot of peacock colours and intricate work for the shoe that I designed.”

Keeping up with global trends is part of her job but when it comes to finding inspiration, anything from the beauty of nature to architectural styles can stimulate her mind. Explaining her Autumn Splash collection, she says, “I was fascinated by raindrops splashing on a surface and reflecting all those beautiful colours. This inspired me to come up with neon bursts in my shoes.”

Rococo Funk is based on her architectural knowhow. “I have tried to recreate the ornate and fanciful style of the 18th century architecture in my Rococo collection,” she says. You will find shoes in neutral shades like nudes and blacks with a lot of gold bearings on fabrics like velvet and faux crocodile and patent leather. “From flats, to wedges to stilettos, I have all types of styles to appeal to women,” says Bhandari who has been working since January 2013 to put together this collection. Besides luxury and custom-made shoes, she will be offering new styles every three to four months.

What one must not forget is that footwear at Fine Couture is in keeping with Indian fashion sensibilities. “I have to keep in mind my Indian clients who appreciate embellishments and fancy work on shoes unlike abroad where women prefer shoes which are less decorative,” says Bhandari, who is focusing on women’s shoes now, but does not rule out making men’s shoes.
Style is a priority

Her personal shoe wardrobe boasts of a collection of 75 pairs. “I love buying shoes and am not finicky about brands. I buy shoes from everywhere, from the streets to malls to designer stores,” she says.

When buying shoes, style is a greater priority than comfort. “If a shoe catches my fancy, I just pick it up. When designing shoes, I always keep in mind its looks. Comfort comes later,” she adds.

One important advice that Bhandari shares with our readers is: “Always devote some time to foot care. A lot of times, shoe bites happen because of improper foot care. Also, friction between the fabric and the skin causes cracking, itching and even blisters on your foot. Using a foot scrub and a foot cream at night when the feet are not exposed is essential.”

So before slipping into a look-at-me stiletto, may be you should consider a foot therapy session!