Toehold Artisans Collaborative

News Archive 1

Prince Charles and his bride get designer ToeHold Kolhapuris for their royal wedding.

Prince Charles and his bride, Ms Camilla Parker, received special wedding gifts from Karnataka – pairs of hand crafted leather footwear – ‘ToeHold’ Kolhapuris!

To convey their best wishes to the Prince and his bride, and to express their friendship, the artisans made pairs of exquisitely handcrafted Kolhapuri footwear for the royal couple and sent it to them through the ‘Dabbawallas’ of Mumbai.

“When we approached Mr. Raghunath Medge of Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Association to give our ToeHold kolhapuris he was delighted that we have our group enterprise. Now he called us to say that it has reached the Prince”, said Sujata Sannakki, Director of ToeHold Artisans’ Collaborative.

The Spring Summer Collection 2004

Kolhapuri Couture, the nouveau adaptation of the Kolhapuri, the traditional handcrafted footwear, emphasizing ethnicity and the natural finish is the product of labour of an entire family. Four such families spent a week in August at the renowned Shoe Design and Development Centre of CLRI where new design collections were developed for the Spring Summer 2004 season. These designs were showcased at the September 2003 GDS International Shoe Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany.

GDS International Shoe Fair

ToeHold Artisans Collaborative participated in the just concluded GDS International Shoe Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany. This is the fourth time that TAC is participating in the fair. The year on year response has been increasingly good. GDS is considered one among the top 5 footwear exhibitions in the world where leading brands are showcased. Around 80 designs of TAC were on show to catch the attention of the international buyer.

Exhibition at Pune

TAC organized an exhibition cum sale of the ToeHold range of footwear in Pune from 21st to 24th August 2003. The venue was “Ozone” a shopping mall in the up market area of Aundh. People responded well to the advertisements and it was a real encouragement for the artisans to see the demand for the quality products and to get the price they deserved. Media coverage for the event was noteworthy. The ‘who is who’ of Pune were busy shopping for the ToeHold brand.

THE TIMES OF INDIA
Saturday January 25, 2003

The Kolhapuri: wow and then

Geetha Rao
Times News Network

WHY are there no cobblers' booths on the streets of Germany? Because the shoes were made so well they didn't need repairs - they were told. Kolhapuri artisans from Toehold, Athani, Belgaum, at the GDS International Shoe Fair, Dusseldorf, Germany, made a mental note of that - It was a lesson in quality standards. And quickly adapted them into the Kolhapuri chappals they made back home. In fact, it is this alacrity that has seen a phenomenal increase in Toehold's exports: from $7000 last year to $54,000 this year, with their Kolhapuris creating waves in fashion circles in Japan, Italy, Australia.

"Soon, you saw a change in the product. Earlier, the chappals were rustic, rugged, did not adhere to any standards. There were differences between the right and the left chappal. You had to try many on to find the right size. The chappals had to be soaked in water to soften them before use", says Madhura Chatrapathy, Trustee-Director, ASCENT, the organisation that guided Toehold.

Soon, the cardboard within was discarded, nails made way for stitches and adhesives; beads, swarovski crystals, raw silk, mat, lace, plaits, braids and weaves adorned them.

Branding took over. They were given exotic names. Silken Charm, Twinkle Toes, Innoweave. At the same time, the traditional designs of Veni

SOLE

STYLE

(braids), kapsi (with teardrop-shaped toes), bantu (closed toes) assumed another avatar. Creativity overflowed - 300 designs so far. New sole shapes evolved - Eva, Apple, Oval-teen, Rocket, Trapeze, Fan.

Within four years, Toehold has become the story of success in NGO annals. "In Kolhapuris, men fashion the lower sole, and women the inner sole and uppers.

In spite of their contribution, women were not given their due. So we decided to form them into Self Help Groups (SHG). After some months, the men were included, but the women would continue to be the stakeholders. Yet men would receive training." Now couples work together, and it has coalesced families. There are 11 SHGs and 200 families involved in Toehold.

The women have become financially independent. One of them, Balabai Kamble, had her husband released from bonded labour, after saving up Rs.13,400 to clear his debt with a trader.

She saved the money on her trip to Germany where she went to participate in the GDS International Footwear Exhibition!

Their lives have changed in other ways. Alcoholism is on the decline to some extent, and the children go to good schools. The women have learnt to shake hands with their male business associates from other countries in the presence of their husbands, and the husbands accept it without demur.

And they have learnt to say "Wow." A word they hear often as customers respond with amazement to the Kolhapuri chappals they showcase at international fairs.

geetrao@indiatimes.com

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