Footwear designer, Chondamma Cariappa’s creativity and ambition came together to take her on a journey from one city to another; one continent to another and in the middle of all the wanderings, she realised that soul/sole searching never really ends – it is life’s continuous journey. Her army background allowed her to explore places and people from a very young age.
Photo | Chondamma Cariappa – Owner at The Sole Sisters
- When and how did you realise that the sole was going to be your abyss of comfort?
I was born in Coorg, Karnataka and the army background gave me the advantage of travelling and exploring places from a very young age. What I realised later was that the different places and the faces inspired me to turn my passion into an enterprise that was rewarding. I worked in the creative department of an advertising firm for eleven years, only and only for the love of shoes!
- Define ‘The Sole Sisters’ for us.
We were born with an innate love of soles. We started out in 2011 as an e-community of stylish women around the world sharing clicks of their precious footwear. Over time and a few thousand steps across Europe and lesser known regions of India, that love turned into a neat independent label called ‘The Sole Sisters”.
- What are your sources of inspiration ?
Knowing how much we walk (and run), and how we love rocking a strong stride, our first priority was comfort and quality. Then came our sense of unique style, where we believe every woman is rooted, yet reaching up to find herself in the most individualistic way possible. This is why we’ve chosen to empower, re-invent, handcraft, handpick and deep-design every process that goes into each of our pair.
“We believe every woman is rooted, yet reaching up to find herself in the most individualistic way possible. This is why we’ve chosen to empower, re-invent, handcraft, handpick and deep-design every process that goes into each of our pair.”
From the Tribal Collection | The Sole Sisters
- What is the essence of your designs? How are they unique from the array of footwear lines we see today?
‘The Sole Sisters’ reflects the girl who packs a suitcase so that she never returns, walks a promenade so that she turns heads and speaks in words that all deem wise. Traditional crafts, earthy culture, weaving details, spontaneous travels, damp foothills and spending hours with the right craftspeople gives us a high.
Bollywood star Sonam Kapoor spotted wearing the Khadi Sandals from ‘The Sole Sisters’.
- So where does one go for some ‘Sole’ searching?
The Sole Sisters is available at GoodEarth across India and at the Amethyst and Ogaan. We’re also available a few places abroad like Tel Aviv, Prague and Kenya. The range starts from Rs. 2,400 to Rs. 6,500.
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