Pune Inc: Innovation meets technology as Chappers, customised footwear brand, to scale nationwide, go global

Chappers, which opened its first store in Karve Road in 2016, found enough clientele in Pune to open another showroom in Aundh and a third at Pavilion Mall. There was even a Chappers in Mumbai’s Khar-Linking Road, which closed during the coronavirus pandemic. In April, founder Harshwardhan Patwardhan presided over the fourth store in Pune, at Seasons Mall. “This year, we would like to raise funding. We have been bootstrapped till now. The plan is to scale Chappers pan-India and, then, to go global,” says Patwardhan.

Chappers is no longer a Kolhapuri brand as it has built a footwear customisation software and offers Belgian loafers, moccasins, and mules, among others, according to the specifications and tastes of the client at affordable prices. “We have seen that there is major value in mass customisation. If customised shoes are given at the right time and at the right price, shoe brands would not need to have inventory at all. Our customised Belgian loafers sell for around Rs 4,000,” says Patwardhan.

Thanks to the focus on customisation, Chappers no longer needs to rent an entire retail store. Their new franchise model is through kiosks. “Since we are into custom made footwear, all we need is a screen, a few swatches and samples, and a trial space,” adds Patwardhan. There are 300 major malls in India and Chappers is working towards being present in each one of these in the next five years. Their USP— the commitment to deliver a customised shoe to the client, anywhere in India, within four days.

The global customised footwear market is worth billions of dollars and scales several prince points. Chappers is going ahead with its promise to deliver within hours at a pocket-friendly price. “In Europe, custom-made shoe brands charge a lot. We can do it for less, which means that, what they do in 90 days, we can deliver in three. There is a huge value that we hope to provide to the market,” says Patwardhan.

His confidence stems from his workforce, especially the skilled artisans who create each shoe, which the company has nurtured over the years and even through the pandemic. “One of our missions is to dignify the craft. At our factory, all of us wear the same kind of footwear that we sell,” he says. “The brand started because I was passionate about Kolhapuris and wanted to take it global. Now, my focus is to reach India footwear craftsmanship to international homes,” he adds.