2nd October 2013
I missed this year’s Asian Achievers Awards but did take a look at the event’s Press Releases. It was fab to see that this year’s ceremony paid particular homage to female achievement and there was one nominee I was curious to find out more about- Aruna Seth. I’ve ft. her pretty pumps in an earlier blog post and was keen to interview the talented designer. And a few e-mails later here it is!
Thanks Aruna!
Pic of the glam designer.
Describe your brand in one sentence?
Luxury elegant and classic shoes!
What’s the story behind the label?
We started up the Aruna Seth brand 5 years ago. Aruna Seth was started as I wanted to create lovely shoes for the Red Carpets. I’ve always loved designer shoes, I owned a personal collection of 150 pairs before starting the Aruna Seth brand. I then studied footwear design at London College of Fashion, moved to Italy for a year to make the shoes in the same factory as Prada and the label Aruna Seth was born! I’ve achieved a great deal of what I wanted, I’ve seen the shoes on the Red Carpets of a great deal of celebrities!
How dreamy are these Candy Rose Leather Pumps with pastel gem detail?
Does your part Indian heritage influence your designs?
I love using colours and jewelled elements to Aruna Seth shoes! If you look at my red and emerald green designs etc they have certainly been influenced by India and the vivid colours from the region! India is a great place to visit to pick up new ideas and trims. Another great thing about India is the amount of events Indian ladies need to go to!
Describe your design process?
I oversee the whole process, from researching ideas, to drawing the ideas on paper! Aruna Seth is innovative and we are always on the look-out for new ideas for our shoe designs. For example our ‘Candy’ shoes have a new jewelled heel on that has been seen no-where else. I’ll travel to Italy to chat with the Artisans about how to create our designs and lasts! The shoes are made in small quantities by hand and I’ll fly over during manufacture to check the quality! It is an absolute joy seeing the shoes from drawing to end result as I’ll do most of the client appointments myself!
Venus Heels in Coral Suede and Roccia Python
What have been your personal highlights for the brand so far?
I adore Kate Hudson and she was spotted wearing my grey Farfalla shoes at a event at Annabels Night-club. We flew the Aruna Seth brand over to Los Angeles for an event pre-Golden Globes and Oscars! While we were out there I got invited to the Golden Globes myself, it was an amazing experience and one I’ll never forget! It was amazing to be able to wear Aruna Seth shoes myself on the Red Carpets with an amazing dress!
What are your future plans for the brand?
We concentrated on the US for many years but we’ve seen the huge potential for ladies who love our shoes in India and Asia so we will be concentrating our efforts there from now on. It’s great because the ladies love our peep-toe shoes and the crystal butterfly for events. And ladies in India have a lot of events to attend and dress for! Especially the weddings and the lead-up to this!!
Venus Heels in Black Suede and Black Python.
What tips would you give to any budding shoe designers?
Persevere! Starting a fashion label takes a lot of energy and you need to carry on with it every-day! Pushing for buyers, consumers and journalists to hear about the brand!! You have to carry on and keep going with it!
And finally what shoes are you wearing today?
Ok, so these shoes are the 130mm Cerise heel in Black Satin xx
And to all my Mumbai readers here’s a date for your diaries. There will be an exclusive Aruna Seth trunk show at the Four Seasons on 3rd Oct 2013 from 7pm onwards. RSVP @ info@arunaseth.com
Images: Aruna Seth
the asian fashion journal 