It all started when one of the three siblings — Neha Chabbra — was getting married. “We wanted to make juttis for ourselves as running around at a wedding in heels can get tedious,” says Akansha, who along with her sisters — Neha and Aarti — forayed into designing juttis a few years ago. In 2015, they launched their brand Pastels & Pop.

Designing juttis started as a “fun wedding project. A chance meeting with a jutti-maker-turned-construction worker triggered off a crazy idea in us. We wanted matching footwear for the wedding and asked him to make juttis for us,” shares Akanksha.

No prizes for guessing that their designer juttis literally swept most guests off their feet at the wedding. “As our juttis got the most compliments, we were struck by another crazy idea. We asked the jutti maker to quit his construction job and work for us. We created 10 pairs and posted photos on our FB page. The juttis were soon sold out and orders started pouring in from Australia, UK and the US,” beams Akanksha, who adds that they now ship their designer footwear across the globe.

What is special about Pastels & Pop juttis is that they come in vibrant colours, instead of the traditional shades of brown. “We use silk and silk threads, beads and sequins for our embroidery. In fact, we draw inspiration from the vast arena of Indian embroidery to create these designs,” adds Aarti.

Pastels & Pop has designs for men and women. The Chhabra sisters say they are engaged “in every step of the manufacturing process”.

While Neha takes care of the digital aspect, Aarti who is the youngest takes care of the designs and Akanksha deals with the business and craftsmen. “Now Pastels & Pop has a team of 32 embroidery artistes in Bengaluru and 42 craftsmen in Punjab,” states Akanksha.

It is not just the expats who love these ethnic footwear. Bollywood celebrities including Sara Ali Khan, Kriti Sanon, Malaika Arora, Dia Mirza, Tapsee Pannu too have added these handmade shoes to their closet.

“This was a dying art as juttis are not always comfortable. The wearer would tend to skid on smooth surfaces and the juttis would usually not fit too well. We have come up with design changes and have not received complaints of aching feet or on the slip factor,” beams Akanksha.

Leather is dominantly used in their designs with faux leather for the insides.

Heavy embroidery is later worked in to add that artistic look. The trio is currently working on making “vegan juttis”, which they say will be out in June.

The trio, who have made an impact in the virtual world, are now on a mission to launch their own brick and mortar store in Bengaluru.