Well, it would appear that India is on track to follow what China has been doing in the shoe world by offering well-made welted footwear for next to nothing (comparatively speaking). The only downside I see to Indian making is that in one photo on IG you will have a handwelted shoe that looks phenomenal and then a shoe that looks cemented and worth less than $50 and it often confuses me. I guess if I really use common sense, I ask myself if the cheaper-looking ones are for their mass distribution in India while maybe the higher-end ones are for a more exclusive clientele as well as a potential non-Indian consumer. That is the only logic that comforts me as I remain dubious wondering, especially as I have very little first hand experience with Indian shoemaking yet far more experience in Indian/Pakistani brands ripping off my photos and selling fakes on eBay. So, it leaves you wondering….
But when I stumbled across Oblum, I was instantly impressed by what I saw. There were great designs, bold colors, nice lasts, and a good-looking handwelted selection. Even a spade sole or two for those fans. Even better is that that founder is a young guy, 30 years old, with a background in shoe design from Milan and the London School of Fashion. He teamed up with a group of shoemakers and created this up-and-coming brand that is surely set to do great things. The company is so small and fresh that they still do not have a proper website and appear to most of their trade from of IG, YouTube, and locally.
I look forward to seeing more of their styles and hope to one day soon do an unboxing video for all of you!
For now, you can learn more here: https://www.instagram.com/_oblum_/?hl=en
Hey Justin, whilst I was at Cordwainers College. I studied your blog and shoegazing religiously and still do. A lot of what we do at Oblum is through information I’ve learnt here and my formal education at Cordwainers college. Thank you so much for writing about OBLUM. We’re here to change perception on Indian shoemakers and This article fuels our ambition. Thank you
I am very happy to hear that you gained inspiration from this blog. Thank you for sharing and keep up the good work!
They are some new arrivals just put the price under them they are very nice I will get 2 pair black Grey and black gold ostrich loafer
Price can be found at the link that I always provide. I won’t put prices under the shoes as I don’t sell them and don’t often know the prices. If you really wanted to find out, you would click that link and discover