What would be the number of runs made by Mahindra Singh Dhoni if he were to play with shoes made for Baichung Bhutia? What about Sania Mirza playing at Wimbledon wearing high-heeled leather shoes?

All this sounds impractical and non-conducive for the job involved. The shoes seem to mismatch with the functions that they are meant to perform. Players need performance shoes based on the nature of sport and also on the nature of the ground. Military applications and mountaineering require leather shoes that can sustain tough weather conditions. When it comes to fashion, every shoe wearer may have his or her own choice.

Footwear is a major component of the leather industry in India. As per the figures available from Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, India contributes about 14 percent of the global leather footwear production. In terms of shoe production capacity, India produces around 2100 million pairs of shoes comprising leather shoes, leather shoe uppers and non-leather shoes.

There are around 4000 footwear production units in India. A good number of small-scale units amount to around 80 percent of the total production. Furthermore, India exports around 115 million pairs, which means that around 95 percent of footwear production goes to the domestic market.

Now, as the domestic market itself forms the major chunk of sales, the choice of shoes differs from customer to customer. Right from individual customers to corporate customers, the design, color, material and quality of the footwear differ and so does the price.

This is where, we at DARE, tried to understand an option that caters to the need of customers on individual basis. It is called custom shoemaking. Right from a cobbler that sits in a corner shop of a village or a town to the bespoke shoemaker in plush markets of metro-cities, custom shoemaking has its own clientele, USPs and barriers. We tried to talk to them individually and fetch some information.

The Traditional CobblerA low-end shoemaker or a cobbler is a traditional example of a custom shoemaker. Before footwear technology started incorporating machinery, cobblers and shoemakers provided custom shoes to their customers.

At this level, the shoemaker usually works himself or sometimes involves some other cobblers to work for him. The business involves a dual-model. The first model is taking orders and preparing shoes on demand. They take the measurement of customer’s foot on a paper. Selection of material, style and color is offered. But these options are limited because the cobbler depends on limited sources that provide raw material. The main point of feasibility of a shoe being custom-made is the choice of the sole.

Ram Kishan, a shoemaker in Old Gurgaon mentioned that the size of the sole determines whether he can custom-make a shoe or not. If the size is below a specific number, he refuses the customer who in turn has no choice but to buy shoes from the shops.

The second model involves preparing shoes incorporating style and design of high-end shoes using cheaper material. This preparation creates showpieces or marketing pairs that youngsters can pick up. They select a design and ask whether their choice of size, material and color could be incorporated in that.

Price Range: Rs. 200-1500/-
USP:
1. Cheap price
2. Choice of style
3. Ease of repair

Customer Profile:1. Youngsters wanting design/style at a cheap price
2. Senior citizens not oriented towards paying too much
3. Laborers and workers
4. Householders who have been like traditional customers

Concerns:
1. Limited availability of material
2. Time taken to make a shoe (usually seven to ten days)

The Bespoke Shoemaker (high-end custom shoemaking)A bespoke shoemaker involves a bit of technology and machinery in catering to high-end customers, who might need custom shoes for very specific purposes, even like mountaineering and military applications, etc.

Special designer shoes for models and celebrities, cowboy and long shoes, corporate uniform shoes, special orthopedic shoes for people having foot-related problems, height increasing elevator shoes, military shoes, and trekking shoes are some of the variations that can be addressed with this business model.

After the selection of material, style, color and design, the measurement is sent to a small scale factory where orders are processed. Usually, orders are processed on a day-to-day basis where they are collected during the daytime and are sent to the manufacturing unit in the evening.

A very salient option provided in this business model is replicating very high-end shoes worn by celebrities, actors and models at an affordable price-range. Kamal of Oscar Shoes, Delhi stated that they get good number of orders around this option. Shoes worn by a celebrity in films and other functions become an instant hit with the customers and they want the same style and design at an affordable price.

Kamal, like Ram Kishan, maintained the importance of a sole. He said that the only time they refuse making a customized shoe is when they can’t get the sole. Once it is available, they can work upon on any design and material. In this case, however, size was not considered but the material of the sole.

Price Range: Rs. 500-7000/-
USP:
1. Choice of design and style
2. Longer life of shoes comparable to similar price range
3. Ease of repair

Customer Profile:
1. Youngsters looking to spend on design/style but want custom choices
2. Military
3. Mountaineering groups
4. Orthopedic patients
5. Small institutions/schools and corporate houses

Concerns:
1. Unavailability of sole material
2. Time taken to make shoes (usually seven to ten days)

Designer ShoesThough fashion has always been a part of shoemaking but it was limited to the elite. However, with the boom in the retail industry around five years back, fashion designers started tapping the market and targeting individual customers.

Swati Mehrotra, owner of Swati Modo Creation talked about her venture and told that her company can make a shoe from a piece of cloth, a worn out tire or anything else that a customer wants to embed in the footwear. Shoe designers offer complete customized solutions to their clients, keeping in mind their choice of colors, materials, etc.

Designer shoes can be extended to pets as well where you can get comfortable shoes designed for your pets choosing material, color, design, and other fashion elements.

The latest to join the line of designer shoes are the astrological shoes. Zodiac shoes or Astro-shoes are offered to customers based on their astrological calculations. Leather is not used in such footwear because leather is believed to be inauspicious for these kinds of shoes.

Price Range: Rs. 150/- onwards
USP:
1. Use of waste material in shoe making
2. Wide range of price
3. Choice of design/style and addition of fashion

Customer Profile:
1. Youngsters and children
2. Customers looking for element of fashion in their footwear
3. Customers who want to use some particular material that they already own
4. Pet owners

Concerns: Lack of awareness among customers

Large-scale CompaniesWhen it comes to large-scale companies, the concept of custom shoemaking takes a particular shape called "institutional shoes". Institutional shoes are made on order and comprise a good batch production size. This batch size can start from 2,000 pairs of shoes and can go up to millions. Under this model, not every pair of shoe is offered a customization option. However, one set of customized option would be applied to all the shoes of that batch.

The customer companies or institutions can have these shoes trademarked for their use. However, companies do not tend to match other company’s shoes for the sake of their individual identity. So, they do not trouble themselves with the budget of getting trademark rights.

The price of these shoes falls in the low-to-mid range for large companies. The shoes wear the names of the manufacturing company, which serves a dual purpose: the manufacturers get their shoes to low-and-mid segment of users; while the customer companies get the brand value of the manufacturing company.

There is one concern that bars some companies to cater to the market of institutional shoes. It is the production capacity. Many companies face trouble in manufacturing the required order size in a given time period.

Some customer companies also use these shoes for promotional and marketing purposes. This is again a good segment of the market.

Overall, institutional shoes give a good opportunity of business. Some people who did not want to be quoted, mentioned that the institutional segment was a major source of sustenance during the current economic slowdown.

Price Range: Rs. 1,100-2,000/- onwards
USP:
Unique style for one particular company
1. Quality Assurance
2. Brand Value

Customer Profile:
1. Companies
2. Corporate Houses
3. Laboratories
4. Educational Institutions

Concerns: 
Order size exceeding the manufacturing capacity in a given time period

ConclusionWhile majority of the customers do buy shoes from retail shops, there is still a good number of people who like to go for custom shoemaking.

The choice of footwear is driven by a lot of factors including price, usage, material, style (regional, regular, fashion), design and size. Getting all other elements under an affordable price drives a lot of customers for custom shoes. The business of custom shoes thrives on providing all options in the best possible manner so that the customer does not utter the famous adage in disgust: Only a shoe wearer knows where the shoe pinches!