Plastic sole mates for guys

21 January,2013 11:29 AM IST |   |  Soma Das

A new website offers functional-yet-trendy shoes that promise to match the best of brands globally. Their shoes are made from polyurethane material, which is a form of tough plastic that can substitute leather


When Dharan Shah (25) went on trips abroad he would mostly end up stocking up on shoes to bring back home. "I wondered why options were scarce in India. When I would return home, I would visit every shop, in every price range, and discovered there is a huge gap in this market. Even big brands sent their mediocre products to India. After having been to shops in the United States, I found none of the same designs here," says Shah. This led him to start AurumCo on December 5, 2012.


The Duke, a design to wear for special occasions

Say no to leather
Presently, the site offers formal as well as casual footwear including lace-ups, suede formals, sneakers, designer suede casuals, drivers and moccasins. "The shoes are made from polyurethane, which is basically a man-made material that looks and feels natural. It makes the shoes durable enough to last an Indian monsoon, while never letting go of that all-important shine. While leather makes a good shoe, PU makes for a shoe that you can actually wear," adds Shah. u00a0They also offer a range that is perfect for specific activities: the Base range is perfect for road trips while the Navy Cut will make give your yacht trips a boost, and Duke will put your wedding footwear woes to rest.


Navy-Cut moccasins with tassels

Cause meets shopping
AurumCo is also socially responsible as they ensure the processes to manufacture shoes use the least resources and are green and don't harm animals. "We don't find the need to slay millions of animals just so that we can show off the latest designs.

Their lives are far more important. Our raw materials come from China, Indonesia and Korea. The designs come inspired from Europe, but are drawn out in India. But actually, each of our designs are inspired from the need and imagination of each shoe's target customer," explains Shah.

Before starting AurumCo, Shah worked as a financial analyst and business development executive for three years. "I've grown up listening to numbers being crunched and stories of stock markets. It defined my identity but I wanted to break away from the circle that my family has been in for four generations. They own a broking firm, Jamnadas Virji Shares and Stock Brokers, started in 1912," he reveals.

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