This footwear designer would love to go barefoot. When she can’t, her shoes will do

Aprajita Toor has a foot problem. The 42-year-old shoe designer has been suffering from plantar fasciitis for the last year, which means that she’s had to press pause on her running habit and, more importantly, on wearing heels. “I’m very sad to say this, but I had to buy a pair of orthopaedic shoes from Amazon for, like, ₹300,” says the footwear designer ruefully, adding that she was ready to run the Mumbai Marathon until the pain stopped her in her tracks. “They were light as a feather, though, just foam, so I didn’t feel like I was wearing anything.” For a footwear designer who prides herself on the comfort value of her shoes, it’s not an easy admission.

Like any true creative, though, Toor created something out of that pain. “That inspired me to rethink my own juttis. They had to be light, but you should feel like your feet are basically drowning in cushion. That’s the perfect feeling.”

To reiterate her point, Toor makes me try out the ruched embroidered velvet ballet flats that she’s wearing during our conversation at her studio in Chembur, Mumbai. Like she said, the cushioning is incredibly comfortable; unlike traditional juttis with their thin leather soles, here you can’t feel the floor, and the elasticated back doesn’t chafe at my heel. The flats are a sample from her latest festive drop of strappy sandals, wedge heels, juttis, and her signature Kolhapuris, of course, all of which have been polished a burnished gold and are covered in intricate dori embroidery, perfect for the festive season.

Comfort has always been top of mind for Toor, but with this collection she wanted to really reiterate that festive and wedding wear can feel good on the feet as well. “If I could, I would live my life completely barefoot,” she says. “But since I can’t, I want my shoes to feel as close to that as possible.”

This is not the first time that Toor has found the strength to release something new after an upheaval in her personal life. Her eponymous label, in fact, was founded in 2012 after the birth of her first daughter. “Postpartum is not easy. There can be so much damage, physically and mentally. Your body is going through so many changes. I wanted to do something, get out of the house, make something of my own, and my daughter inspired that,” she says.

Now, almost 15 years later, Toor, along with her husband, juggles being the mum of two daughters, managing a house full of pets—three cats and two dogs—and running a footwear label that’s the go-to for everyone from Alia Bhatt, Rashmika Mandanna and Sonam Kapoor to brides around the country.

I asked a few of her clients what makes Toor’s styles so appealing. Actor Tabu says she has multiple designs from the label. “Most recently I wore a black heeled version for the Drishyam trailer launch. The Kolhapuri, in particular, is my go-to for Indianwear, because you can’t go wrong with them. There’s a version for all occasions and all levels of comfort.”

Another of Toor’s clients, the aesthete Hemal Shete, admits to owning between 20 to 25 pairs by the brand. “I have so many—the standard gold and silver Kolhapuri but also versions in colours like purple, green, orange… I’m 60-plus, so I’m a bit wary about wearing high heels, but Aprajita’s shoes never feel uncomfortable,” says Shete over the phone from Mumbai. Earlier this month Shete says she wore the brand’s newest release—the heeled jutti—for Ganpati season. She adds, “I paired the juttis from Aprajita with my Injiri sari that I like to drape a little high up. In one day I went for almost seven darshans, but I had no problem even though they were heels.”

Early on in her career, Toor knew she didn’t want a regular nine-to-five, training first as a jewellery technologist at the Indian Institute of Jewellery, Mumbai, and working in the UK for a year, before returning to India to complete an MBA in Marketing. There were brief stints in the middle at an advertising agency, a PR firm, even a publication, before she decided to set out on her own.

Her first design was a pair of pencil-heel Kolhapuris that she made using her savings. “Growing up, I always thought the Kolhapuri was extremely versatile. The only gap in the traditional footwear space was that everything was a flat shoe—there were no heels apart from the standard dabba heel,” she reminisces.

While the heeled Kolhapuri has become Toor’s signature, she’s since gone on to experiment with juttis and mojris as well as more contemporary styles, like ballet flats (these started as a collaboration with content creator Scherezade Shroff in 2024), brogues, and an assortment of strappy sandals. She’s added different heels, experimented with colour, and layered embroidery techniques, including Rabari mirrorwork, phulkari, and zardozi, all the while keeping her focus on comfort, fit, and an appreciation for Indian artisanship.

Her training as a jewellery making is evident in her more opulent designs and her personal fits—Toor has a maximalist, bohemian style, and when we meet she’s wearing a black lungi skirt and a loose shirt, a stack of beaded and silver bangles on each arm, some from her travels to the northeast, rings on almost every finger, a vintage-looking silver chain, and matching silver anklets. She finishes the look with a tiny black dot bindi. “My favourite part of the day is when I get ready. It’s like dopamine. I will miss breakfast, but I will take my time to coordinate my jewellery and my clothing. That’s what inspires me and gets me through the day,” she adds.

So, as the OG advocate for the Kolhapuri, what are her thoughts on the Prada version of the classic toe-loop slipper? Her answer comes quickly, “There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from another place or designer. That’s what fashion is all about. Everybody is copying everybody. But I think what people are seeking is the credibility that comes from an international brand acknowledging the source. They could have said it was inspired by India.” As someone who has spent her career repping traditional Indian footwear, the point isn’t to reinvent something for the sake of it. Toor simply wants to ensure that these pieces of tradition continue to stay relevant, making sure that whether you’re dancing at your sangeet, pandal hopping or heading for a movie launch, your feet are the last thing you worry about.