THE QUEST FOR comfortable yet stylish formal shoes for urban women led Dipika Agarwal to join her father’s shoe business and start her label Opancho Shoes in 2015. The girl from Siliguri (West Bengal), who is now based in Delhi, designs chic loafers and brogues that are voguish and comfortable at the same time. In her latest Boss Babe collection, she adds heels, acknowledging individual choices. The 25-year-old designer, who sells though her Instagram account and website, gives us an insight into the new edit. Excerpts:
Tell us about the new collection.
The new collection explores the feminine nuances more vividly than ever in as many domains as possible. It consists of heels but will keep the brand’s USP intact, which is a handcrafted mix of luxury and comfort. There will be heels like kitten, almond toes, wedges and pumps. Using goat and Italian leather, the colour palette has been kept varied. It includes subtle and pastel shades like grey, black and brown apart from hues of peppy pink and blue. We have also kept the option of customisation open.
What convinced you to add heels?
The whole thing is done to add more choice. We respect the individual and subjective choice of each woman, whether they want to go with heels or flats or brogues. A lot of women find their confidence in heels and we at Opancho are constantly trying to create something that takes their style and comfort along.
How does the collection score in terms of comfort?
Our USP is to curate a comfortable fashion. It doesn’t necessarily have to be painful or voguish. Our fabrics and designs provide maximum comfort while keeping the urban edge intact.
Tell us about the upkeep of the shoes.
These shoes don’t require intensive cleaning. Dusting them off with a soft brush and conditioning them once in two to three months will help avoid cracks. You can also use shoe shiner to keep them as new. If you want to store them just put some rolled newspaper in the inside and store them in a dust-proof shoe box.
RS 2,000 onwards. Available online.