Footwear designer Laksheeta Govil launched her brand Fizzy Goblet in 2014 with an aim to turn the humble jutti into a thing of art. A few years down the line, she has successfully brought it back into vogue. Last year she launched a line of Kolhas (Kolhapuri sandals) and after a lot of requests from her customers, she has come out with a range of fancy juttis with heels. If you’re raising your eyebrows wondering whether this is a good idea as far as comfort is concerned, Govil says it is her most comfortable collection so far.
The brand uses rich embellishments, fine embroidery, and happy colours to make juttis that you can walk, glide and dance in through the day or night. We chat up the designer to find out more about these handcrafted pairs:
What inspired you to come up with a collection of juttis with heels?
We’ve had customers asking us for about heeled juttis for years, but I wanted to make sure we had the right product to offer them, which is truly comfortable heels, before we launched. This was the year that it all came together. There’s an obvious gap in the market and our customers’ shoe racks.
How comfortable are these juttis with heels? Tell us about the materials used and the sole.
Fizzy heels were built to go from the baarat to the nightclub, so they are extra comfortable. To me, comfort is the first step for a good piece of footwear, and it feels obvious to us that you should be as comfortable in these heels as you are in any of our juttis. Fizzy heels use double cushioning — a super soft leather lining and a block heel to make sure you can wear your gorgeous pair for many hours on the dance floor or get through a long day of accomplishing those set goals.
Tell us about the colour palette which mostly comprises pastels — it is a unique choice for juttis.
All of our juttis are designed keeping comfort and wearability in mind. In terms of colours, that means choosing colours that are easy to wear while making a statement. Pastels, in particular, are great when you want to feel special but don’t feel like making an effort.
What different types of detailing have you used on the footwear collection?
Embroideries, appliques, zari work, you name it and we have done it in the heels! We love experimenting and playing with colours and material. For example, Neutron Dance Heels have traditional mirror work on a neutral jute base in pastel colours which makes the whole shoe look contemporary. It’s this pairing of counter-intuitive materials and techniques that fascinates and challenges us the most.
While juttis are mostly worn with Indian-wear, this collection is more ambitious. Tell us how one can pair it with fusion/Westernwear.
When we started Fizzy Goblet, juttis were traditional footwear that we dug out of our mom’s shoe rack every wedding season. It was a shame to relegate these gorgeous pieces of handmade art to such a specific time. Every piece of ours has broken down that difference to make juttis an art for our everyday use. Fizzy heels, in particular, look great with jeans and a shirt. I personally love wearing them with jumpsuits and a minimalistic necklace. Another combination that looks chic is taking a traditional saree, wearing it with a shirt and the Fizzy heels.
What sizes are available in this collection?
The Fizzy heels, like all our product lines, are available in all sizes. Everybody deserves gorgeous footwear.
There’s a lot of focus on sustainability and eco-friendly techniques and measures. How have you encouraged these concepts into your brand?
Sustainability is more about conscious thought than anything else. For us, the checklist starts with paying keen attention to where the raw materials are sourced from. The next step is to pay attention to the process during production so that we end up with zero waste — a part of this is to upcycle scraps into scrunchies and hairbands which we give to our customers as gifts.
Two years ago, we completely eliminated the use of plastic in our packaging. As an e-commerce company, this was considered a bold move but we built creative packing solutions and now our conscience, our customers and the planet are better for it. I love it when our customers reuse the boxes and send us pictures of the innovative ways in which they give it a new purpose.
