If you also love to walk with comfort and style, then you need to try the trendy footwear of this Dimapur based designer label that is run and owned by 29-year-old Kaka Sumi. Named after the young designer himself, the label reflects class, comfort, and his obsession of shoes that started way back when he was in the 7th grade. He recalls, “I loved sketching the Spice Girls and their footwear. But as a person, I always loved Victoria Beckham and considered as my idol and she always wore heels, and that pushed me to draw her heels and it was then my passion for shoes and heels started taking shape.”
After 7 years of hard work, researches and travelling, his dream turned into reality when he launched his eponymous label with a range of men’s footwear in 2017. He expresses, “It was a dream comes true, but at the same time I knew I have a long way to go.”
With a degree in footwear design from FDDI, Noida, and a diploma course from NIFT Chennai in accessory design and leather design, Sumi has created a niche for himself in the footwear market with social media presence and stand-alone studio in Dimapur that speaks style and space.
For Sumi, it had been a smooth ride till date, where his family and friends stood by him and supported in living his dream. “When I look back, it looks like a dream come true and I am optimistic about the future of the brand that will stand out in the market with its quality and design uniqueness” “I want my shoes to speak of beauty and elegance yet being chic and classy,” he mentioned.
During a telephonic conversation, while explaining about the brand’s philosophy he says,” The vision behind ‘Kaka Sumi’ is a one-man show, who has learnt the art with hard work of six years and wishes to build an identity soaked in colours of genuineness, comfort and class.”
Though Sumi’s inspiration lies in the craft of Manolo Blahnik and Alexander Mcqueen amongst others, but he has taken a leap of faith in men’s footwear market too and strongly believes that it is a potential market. He affirms, “With the change in time, men have changed and it reflects in their choices. Social media has helped a lot and when I researched about stylish footwear for men, I had nothing much to explore and that gave me an opportunity to explore the untouched market.” He claims, “The response rate in Dimapur has boosted by confidence and I am all set to explore other parts of the country and abroad too.”
The interesting part about Sumi’s work is that everything is done with hands. He informs, “It begins with visualisation and then intense thought processing takes shape on the paper and after sourcing and placement, the end product comes to live within 48 hours.
Ask him about shaping a luxury store in cities like Delhi and Mumbai, pat came the reply, “The market structure is guiding me to build that same, but it is too early to decide and comment on that. If I get the market scope in the cities, will surely plan it.” “It also depends on the demand of the market. Here, in hometown, people are way experimental as compared to metro cities and that gave me the power to play with my vision,” he adds while replying to the scope of the footwear market in metropolitan and other cities.
As an avid traveller, Sumi keeps learning about the world of shoe and that is how he managed to get the best team to work with and deliver on time. He mentions, “For me, the sustainability of the environment is important and that’s the reason my footwear is made out of pure leather, which is biodegradable.”
Sumi concludes the wee hour telephonic conversation with a strong thought that his passion for heels and shoes will make him stand in the global market, where his brand will be recognized for creativity, comfort and craft.
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