After seeing this fascinating YouTube video about the shoemaker in Agra, BLKBRD, I decided to check out their website. It is clear they have invested great effort and resources to set up their site, on par with any global brand in overall quality.
After navigating through their vast collection of handmade shoes, I purchased a pair, a seamless experience. Then I forgot all about it, until I got a WhatsApp message from them saying this:
Have you confirmed your sizing with our team? If not, kindly share the details below. Your order will enter production as soon as we have the sizing confirmed.
Can you also confirm what size you wear in other brands and if possible, can you scan your feet and share measurements?
https://www.blkbrdshoemaker.com/blogs/blkbrdblogs/a-complete-guide-on-measuring-your-feet
We’ll keep you updated every step of the way.
Briefly, this entailed putting one’s foot on a blank piece of paper and tracing the outline to their excruciating specifications and providing 3 measurements – Foot Length, Ball Girth and Mid-Girth. At this stage, I quickly checked and confirmed I was buying shoes and not a codpiece.
After I posted this picture on the WhatsApp chat, we continued the discourse on day 2.
27 length is almost 43. And could be measurement error.
Can you share what other brands you wear and what size on them?
So we can double confirm.
Only after I sent them pictures of my other shoes confirming the size was BLKBRD did finally agree to start making my shoes.
As a customer, it is admirable to observe BLKBRD’s love for their craft, their meticulousness and attention to detail.
Makes one wonder whether this is slow, small, custom approach to manufacturing & business could serve as a template for several other trades. In this mad day of startups, valuations, fundraising, etc., is there space for such patient, brand-building endeavors to also co-exist?