Corporate Vision March 2017

CORPORATE VISION / March 2017 93 , Rinaa Shah, luxury shoe designer, talks about her latest collection and how she strives to ensure success every time. If the Shoe Fits India’s first shoe designer, Rinaa Shah, has designed an equestrian collection that portrays her love for Polo. Rinaa started playing the equestrian sport four years ago when she sat on the horse for the first time and simply loves every moment on the ground, atop her horse. The collection, entitled Rinaldi Polo, is sporty and chic, just like the game. Rinaa has been designing and manufacturing shoes for 15 years and has made shoes for almost all markets in the world including USA, Europe and Australia. “We were India’s first shoe designers and have around 5000 clients all over India,” she explains. “We have also made shoes for Hollywood and Bollywood clients and dressed around 3000 brides over the 15 years. We also make custom shoes as per clients’ requirements.” Rinaa and her team’s mission is to achieve the best possible quality and she strives to meet the international standard. “As we make all the shoes by hand we pay special attention to all the small details and make sure the design and standards are maintained consistently.” It is this attention to detail which has served Rinaa well over the years and sets her aside from competitors in the industry. “We are the best shoe makers in India because we pay attention to the clients’ needs. We buy the best raw materials from Italy, and we follow international standards for quality and design which others in India can’t do.” Rinaa tells us more about her latest collection, Rinaldi Polo, and the inspiration behind it all. “I love horses and always wanted to ride,” she enthuses. “In 2011, I watched a Jaipur polo game with some friends and fell in love with the sport. I want my collection to reflect the fun and style surrounding the game of polo”. Rinaa, whose accessories have in the recent past been carried by Natalie Portman, Pamela Anderson and even Goldie Hawn and Naomi Campbell, travelled to Santa Barbara and Argentina to learn and train in the sport of polo. “Being so passionate about the sport and being with horses every day of my life, I thought it would be great to do a line that’s comes from the heart,” she adds. Using her signature style of embellishments with crystals and coloured stones Rinaa has created a line using equestrian prints and polo prints on large bags with bamboo handles. The theme is brought to life with saddle bags, complete with trimmings, rein handles, spur straps with crystals and feathers and even a unique collection of belts with horses as buckles. Rinaldi Polo Boots are handcrafted and made by specially trained skilled craftsmen with beautiful tanned leather. Each boot is custom-made with special care and high-quality. “Polo is slowly but surely becoming a lifestyle statement in the world!” The main challenge that Rinaa faces in India is the lack of labour. “It is hard to find good staff and skilful labourers. India has no top fashion schools; therefore, we have to train our craftsmen every time as handmade shoes require a lot of work and skill.” With regards to the future, Rinaa and her team have big plans for the Rinaldi brand. “We are planning on launching Rinaldi shoe studio for bespoke shoes and also a website that we will launch globally where anyone in the world can create their own shoes online.” K Company: Rinaldi Designs Name: Rinaa Shah Email: [email protected] Web Address: rinaldipolo.com Address: 121 Tantia Jogani Ind. Est., J. R. Boricha Marg Lower Parel East, Mumbai, 400 011, India Telephone: +91 22 400 40343 1703CV02