With that multi-layered lehenga, a heavy dupatta, and tons of jewellery, navigating your wedding ceremony can be cumbersome. So, how does one keep it comfy without compromising on style? Ditching those heels might not be the worst idea. With a number of artisanal juttis brands now paving the way, these otherwise unassuming pieces of ethnic footwear have become trend du jour. What sets them apart is their range of contemporary designs balanced with comfort. From pieces featuring intricate zari work, dabka, and Kashmiri kalamkari to those crafted in denim and leather, there is a lot to choose from. From Sonam Kapoor’s exquisite Mehendi juttis by Fizzy Goblet to Priyanka Chopra’s gifting of Needledust pieces at functions, to Kangana Ranaut’s juttis featuring crystal beads and mirror-work, even tinseltown’s discerning names have already given this footwear their stamp of approval. And to make your life easier, here is our edit of the best jutti brands in India to choose from for the coming wedding season.
Fizzy Goblet
Bright graphics and a whole milieu of striking hues – that’s what sums up Fizzy Goblet, an ethnic footwear brand launched by Laksheeta Govil. What started initially as a personal project of hand-painting canvas shoes later turned into a passion experimenting with Indian juttis. Govil’s previous experiences with Puma and design houses like Lecoanet-Hemant gave her an insight into the world of shoes. Today, Govil’s creations consciously marry the traditional charm of a jutti with pop culture. Imagine ornate floral embroideries on a base of lavender, blush pink, and strawberry hues. That’s not all. For brides, there are pieces featuring heavy sequin work as well. The jutti brand also collaborated with designer Payal Singhal to create footwear suitable for every occasion.
Needledust
Growing up admiring her mother’s juttis, Shirin Mann Sangha developed a keen eye for the traditional footwear, and the dearth of cool, contemporary juttis, prompted her to launch her own label. She started by designing juttis for her own wedding, and today operates with a team of craftsmen, and ensures that every piece goes through a multi-tier process of design, refining, and quality checks. An army of celebs (Aishwarya Rai, Sonam Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha) have embraced her almost art-like pieces, and she has also collaborated with bridal couturiers Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla on two collections.
JuttiChoo
What does it take to keep traditions alive in today’s fashionscape? This is the question that Sushant Sood, the founder of quirky ethnic footwear label JuttiChoo, tries to answer through his creations. His idea was to create cool, comfortable footwear that appeals to all, and the result is design that balances aesthetics with a pinch of bling. Only retailing online, expect exquisite beadwork, dual-toned heavy sequin work, and zardosi embroidery on his pieces. From Deepika Padukone, to Malaika Arora Khan, to Karishma Kapoor, there are plenty in Bollywood who are a fan of this label.
House of Vian
Here are juttis featuring embroideries depicting the London’s skyline, Kashmiri kalamkari, and signature Gujarati mirror work. Eclectic yet traditional with a hint of drama – that’s the essence of these pieces created by Drishti Mahajan, creative head and director at House of Vian. One of the USPs of the brand is the variety they have. From nakshee, dabka and zari-work on deep a red velvet base to beautiful chand-sitara embroidery on summery turquoise, there are pieces for every wedding function.
Shilpsutra
Launched in 2015, Shilpsutra is the brainchild of NIFT alumnus Shilpa Agarwalla, whose pieces are characterised by 3-D embroidered denim and suede. But Agarwalla hasn’t restricted herself to conventional designs, and has branched out into pieces for kids, men, and even sliders and sneaker-juttis (featuring a sneaker-like harness with laces). What sets this brand apart is ‘chottapanja’, a covering range around two and a half to three inches, which ensures that the feet look dainty (under the Mughal regime, when women remained cloaked, they were only allowed to uncover their feet, and the shoemakers would make ‘chottapanja’ juttis for them, ensuring their feet looked small).
Anupam Dabral
Sr. Associate Editor
It was while studying fashion journalism at London College of Fashion that Anupam developed a keen interest in the anthropological aspect of the discipline; for him, fashion only makes sense when seen in the context of its environment. He is always on the hunt for great stories, and in his spare time binge-watches films/shows starring Whoopi Goldberg, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
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