Hola Rodinhooders,
It’s been a few weeks that we got introduced to Alok and we’ve been itching to introduce ourselves to this amazing community of like-minded people. (I’ve smiled and wow-ed after reading almost every blog/article on this website)
This is our journey at Dnuvo so far in the startup arena.
I have had big feet since college days (11.5 to be precise), and no brand has ever bothered to make half a size larger for me (And rightly so, I’m not Roger Federer). So I tried a few jugaads for a few years – hammered size 11 from the inside, kept shoe trees/wooden logs to open them up, got shoes made from cobblers – but nothing worked beyond a few months. Buying 25-30K shoes from London was never an affordable option for me.
In 2012, I discussed the problem with my sister-in-law (now co-founder), Rupam, who had good contacts in the shoe industry. We went out on a verification drive across major shopping streets in Delhi and spoke to a random sample of 500 men who were looking to buy shoes. Our findings were an eye-opener and we immediately discovered a problem which had been hidden (inside shoes) for quite some time – We have been buying what is available in terms of design and size instead of what suits us best. Further, the problem is confirmed by salesmen who start destroying the design of newly bought shoes with – “ek hafte mien thoda aur khul jayega”.
We started searching for shoe manufacturers who could do custom made shoes and in 2013, we found our partners. We went live in Feb 2014, ‘Dnuvo’ was born out of our love for ‘New Design’. Our concept of custom made shoes for men got the first few inquiries from women – rather, these were complaints about why weren’t we doing it for women. I’ve explained more about us in a video made by our friends at icustommadeit.com
Our proposition is simple – We come to you, show you our designs, understand your requirements, take your measurements and boom – you get your pair of shoes in 20-40 days and you don’t even have to leave your drawing room for all of that.
Since 2014, we have –
- Fixed the measurement process to avoid repeated trails
- Had two sets of new design launches
- Have found a shared home @ Jim Dandy (guys doing hand-basted bespoke suits for men) in Shahpur Jat
- Made shoes for some of the most amazing shoe aficionados in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
- Printed, embossed, embroidered monograms and initials on shoes
Now, we are running after our new milestones, improving the overall shoe ordering experience and staring at our Moonshot – to be a ‘Made in India’ global luxury footwear brand.
Like the concept? Go ahead, give it a spin, sign up for an outfitter appointment here.
We’d love to hear from all of you.
With love,
Pranav @ Dnuvo
Twitter: @dnuvoshoes
asha chaudhry
pranav,
even though i’m not your TA (neither is my hubby coz we live in goa!!) – I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU AND DNUVO!
right from the way you’ve used the word “bespoke” to the fact that you faced a problem and you went ahead and created a venture to solve it!!
your story of how folks do jugaad is SO REAL! and am sure anyone can connect with it!
then one watches your video…. pranav there is an incredible honesty in your voice. and i just love folks who solve pains in other people’s lives. simple.
i’m gonna be in delhi for diwali (i’m there every year) and i love shapur jat – so i’m going to come to your place and meet you!!
keep rocking and stay in touch. we should have you over at one of our events just to hear your awesome story. thank you for sharing it with us!
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Asha,
Team Dnuvo sends out a ‘big thank you’ to you 🙂 but hey both of you are Dnuvo’s TA ;). We don’t have an outfitter service beyond NCR as of now, but we do make shoes for people in other cities, starting with a self-measurement process. And a lot of women have gifted a pair of Dnuvo shoes to their hubbies,dads, brothers 😉
Diwali visit would be fantastic, looking forward to that. Would love to be a part of the events, when are you guys planning the next one in NCR?
Siddhant Jain
Hi Pranav, sounds like a really neat idea. Checked out your website too, quite enticing.
Joginder Tanikella
–
“to be a ‘Made in India’ global luxury footwear brand”
It’s time someone turned things around! Wishing you all the best! 🙂
I live quite close to your showroom. Looking forward to visiting when am in Delhi next month. 🙂
Manish Bhagwani
Hi Pranav,
Have seen your website and it really makes easy to understand custom shoes.
My name is Manish and I run Walker Styleways. I have made some wide feet shoes offline for few of my customers. now I am validating the online viability of this model. Can we connect?
Best Regards,
Manish Bhagwani,
9972921908
email: manish@walkerstyleways.com
Sridhar Rajendran
Really nice concept Pranav. I checked out your site and it is quite classy as well. Me, having flat foot always have trouble buying shoes/sandals. I end up scouting many shops and sometimes I even end up giving away a new pair of shoes because they don’t ‘expand’ as promised by the salesman! One issue I have felt is, there aren’t any decent options to get footwear modification done (like an arch/raised heel) on a swanky pair of shoes. The guys that do offer such modifications make shoes that make me look like a patient rather than a gentleman.
So my question is, do you guys offer such modification for custom made shoes and also the ones you sell readymade?
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
signed up! Site is slow 🙁
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Siddhant, we’re glad you liked it. 🙂
Pranav Bhalla
Thank you Joginder, the team is looking forward to seeing you at the store soon 🙂
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Manish, thanks. Sure, you can write to me at pranav@dnuvo.com
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Alok, thanks for signing up 🙂
We’re working on the speed thing, hopefully should improve in a few hours.
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Sridhar,
Thank you, we’re glad you liked the concept. Yes, we do offer such modifications on our custom made shoes. Do let us know about the modifications you are looking for (at hello@dnuvo.com) and one of our outfitters will get back to you. 🙂
Prajyot Mainkar
Interesting concept Pranav. Personalization has become quite important and i think this platform would be ideal for the Shoe lovers. If this was in Goa, i would have customized one right away 🙂 – Looking forward to see Dnuvo across all major cities soon. All the very best.
Regards,
Prajyot Mainkar
Twitter | Google+ | Facebook | LinkedIN | Blog
Siddhant Jain
Was just curious, how did you come up with the brand name?
Chaitanya Kejriwal
great idea. ive faced a similar challenge.
would love to know more about you plan to take this to the next level.
what is your email id/phone number?
regards,
Chaitanya
chaitanya@parksonspackaging.com
asha chaudhry
hey pranav,
chaitanya is an angel investor-rodinhooder :)))
PLS GET ON THAT CALL!
Pranav Bhalla
Hi Chaitanya,
We’re glad you liked our concept, I’ve emailed you my contact details. 🙂
Regards,
Pranav
Pranav Bhalla
Hey Asha, done, connected, thank you. 🙂 Wow, I didn’t know angels are watching too, I should be wearing swankier Dnuvo shoes. 😛
Saurabh Somani
Hello Pranav,
I have gone through your article and it is an inspiring story for all the entrepreneurs. I am from an IT company and we have developed a customization software that allows customization for your buyers. I have gone through the website and found out that you don’t have this facility. I think having a customization tool for your buyers online (not visiting them) will add certain bespoke features in it. For your reference, I am attaching a demo tool for you that can be accessible. IF you like this, please get in touch with me for the same.
Shoe Customization Software:-
https://www.o-singuliers.com/customtabs/index/view/id/5/
This is a shoe customization tool created with 3D graphics. You can choose, modify and create a perfectly suitable shoe for you. This can be done on Sports, Leather, Casual, Loafers etc..
Saurabh