From Hindi lettering to taash designs and artist collabs, Indian brands are spinning India’s own sneaker story. ‘Indian brands have built culture and aspiration to get people to pay top dollar.’
In Agra, shoemakers fear the change and disruption in the old ways of doing things. Industry associations fear fallouts, while workers are worried that they’ll be laid off.
With offerings ranging from juttis to match your wedding attire to classic leather shoes, these niche shoemakers mostly cater to men, but are making inroads into the women’s market too.
Covid lockdowns and ongoing Omicron wave have hit hard, but GST hike to 12% from 5% on footwear below Rs 1,000 has knocked down many businesses & left labourers without work.
In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.
IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.
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