Giving designer’s edge to Kolhapuris

Most creations are born from a necessity, or so we might imagine. Aprajita Toor’s dreams believe otherwise. A Jewellery Technologist from CJIT and armed with an MBA from GNIMS, Aprajita was always inclined towards the beautiful world of art from a very young age; little wonder that her childhood days involved her filling notebooks with endless sketches & doodles. However, it was one incident and her undying love for Kolhapuris that made her realise the inherent need for comfortable, expressive and wearable footwear for women—leading to the inception of the brand 'Aprajita Toor'; a label, symbolic of the rich cultural Indian heritage.

As they say, everything has a starting point—a dream, a thought and a sketch; and with that in mind, she set out to find the perfect Indian sandal. With the best artisans hidden in the smaller towns of the country, her search helped her rediscover the vibrant colours that were symbolic of the Indian attire.

‘Cutting the pattern’ for the bespoke & handcrafted luxurious creation that they set out to build followed soon after. While most parts of 2012 were spent experimenting, in 2013, Aprajita introduced her signature Kolhapuris for the first time in creative and bold designs. The following years saw her experimenting with edgy yet fun designs like never before; the shoes walked the ramps at International and National fashion weeks and brought in appreciation and recognition.

She says, “I can live in a pair of Kolhapuris, hence all my styles reflect the element. We stand today at a precipice and are waiting to leap forward and fly. With an ever- growing team of skilled karigars, our experience of failed and successful designs, honest feedback from our customers and the ambition to grow, we are where we want to be, and our shoes are at your feet”.

Today, 5 years into the business, the brand has helped shoe thousands of feet and has a wide range across categories in footwear. Throughout Aprajita’s journey, one thing has remained constant – the need to help women express themselves in the best way possible.