Bespoke at a shoe-string price
DESPITE VANISHING BESPOKE TRADITIONS, THIS SHOP IS TOP CHOICE FOR DIPLOMATS
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For the discerning buyer, who gives equal importance to looks and comfort, shopping for shoes can be an extremely time-consuming experience.
If it looks good, it may not feel comfortable enough and some of the most comfortable shoes don’t look like they deserve an outing. So what’s a hapless buyer to do?
To start with, they can seek refuge at the Om Boot House in New Delhi’s Moti Bagh area. For many expatriates, it is the go-to shoe place.
Specialising in handcrafted shoes, Om Boot House is the first shop as one enters south Delhi’s Basrurkar Market.
There is a veritable onslaught of shoe designs, tones, detailing and style. And even as all this determines the final price of the footwear, the pair is custom-made within a week on a shoestring budget.
Bholu Ram, the shop owner, says, “Our regular clientele comprises embassy and hotel staff. From the US to Korea and UK to Pakistan, we have made footwear for people of almost all nationalities. On the home front, judges, lawyers and bureaucrats are our regulars as well as walk-in customers.”
Even the younger generation is now turning to their expertise. Having bought shoes online, many come to the shop to have them altered for comfort and fit.
The price of Ram’s bespoke shoes ranges from Rs500 (Dh26) to Rs3,000.
What has worked for the shop is word of mouth publicity. With a reputation for a diverse selection of material — including pure leather, crunch, crocodile and suede, the shop has no hesitation in providing customers replicas of designs that customers bring in the form of cut-outs or pictures of shoes. One of the advantages the store enjoys is its compliment of skilled craftsmen who keep themselves abreast of the latest models, and have been known to add a suggestion or two, which goes down very well with their customers.
A work of art
Commenting on the fastfading artisanal skill of handcrafting shoes, Ram said, “Making good shoes requires skilled workers and these days, they are hard to come by. Our artisans, who have honed their skills over the years, are reputed for maintaining both quality and comfort of footwear.”
The design of a shoe begins with an analysis of a client’s tastes and habits, and this is where a boutique store culture proves to have an edge over the generic sales approach of shoe stores.
A detailed consultation allows the craftsman to outline a concept on paper. This is the birth of the shoe that will endure for the client as one of his favourites.
Once the paper patterns are made, the skins and linings of leather are cut with precision. The age-old traditions of handcrafted shoe making get into play. The sole and heel buttress are assembled and sewn together,
Bholu Ram| Shop owner
with meticulous attention being given to the smallest details. The leather and its shine and suppleness are an integral part of the shoe experience. The leather is lavished with love and attention as an array of emollients and creams and natural waxes are used.
Pointing to an open space opposite the shop, Ram said, “My brother-in-law, Mata Deen, began the shoe enterprise from here. He had come to the city from Rajasthan in ■ the 1930s and after undertaking sundry jobs, in 1955, starting operating as a cobbler from the roadside.”]
His proficiency got him many loyal customers; some of their families are still clients.
“In 1970, when I too came from Rajasthan and settled in Delhi, Mata Deen roped me into this profession. To expand our work, he suggested that I go door-to-door for get footwear repairing orders. This was the time when Moti Bagh transformed into a residential area and we began getting lots of work,” Ram added.
Five years later, when Mata Deen died, the onus to keep the business going fell on Bholu Ram.
“I took charge of the entire clientele. In 1990, the Delhi Development Authority allotted a shop in my name and my eldest son, Heera, joined the profession. Gradually, of my other three sons, Uma Shankar and Khushi Ram too began learning the tricks of the trade.”
Om Boot House now employs about half-a-dozen craftsmen, who specialise in making not just dress and daily wear shoes but also medically recommended shoes with special features such as sole arches for the flat-footed, elevator shoes for the short of height and professional footwear for golf and polo players.
Ram’s brother Heera has set up an independent footwear company in south-west Delhi’s Dwarka area.