In the current landscape, Egoss stands amongst the handful of brands that have retained the original ethos of shoe-making. With an end to end handmade process, skilled and semi-skilled labour trained over years has ensured Egoss to stand as a powerful candidate in handcrafted Indian art.
– by N. Bobo Meitei
Agra-based Egoss has meticulously nurtured its core values, and today they have grown. The efforts are again manifested in its new product collection.The leather footwear brand Egoss offers premium leather shoes within a stipulated budget has been Egoss’s focus from its initial days. Its shoes enjoy a strong hold on formal shoes designs and today it manufactures stylish and urbane casual shoes as well. Egoss Formal shoes and Egoss sandals are at par with some of the premium European shoe manufacturing brands.
Today, the brand is a name to be reckoned with. “In the current landscape, Egoss stands amongst the handful of brands that have retained the original ethos of shoe-making. With an end to end handmade process, skilled and semi-skilled labour trained over years has ensured Egoss to stand as a powerful candidate in handcrafted Indian art. Currently, it’s safe to call Egoss the technology pioneer in the industry. Every range and collection has a story to tell in terms of design ergonomics,” says Ravinder Bhatia, Founder, Egoss. Apart from being a major player in the leather footwear segment, it undoubtedly stands as a giant in India’s footwear hub, Agra.
Over the years it has expanded product portfolio, catering to diverse target audience. Ravinder explains, “In 2001 M.dot (comfort technology provided by sole studs) was designed by the same team, market wasn’t ready for it. However, it was amusing to see the same technology hitting the market a decade later. Thus proving the foresightedness of the team.” He admits that like every brand in the market, there is always inspiration from the European markets, but the brand’s core value to deliver something different hasn’t changed. From a strong player in only comforts, Egoss has grabbed a strong hold on formals, chappals and slipons. This also means expanding target audience, includes a large group of younger audience with change in design strategy.
Despite its established reputation for premium jooti shoes, its recent launch of Egoss Stretch boasts of equal, if not more, comfort. “The technology enhances the cushion and gives room for the feet to expand and contract, not restricting it to the room visible to the naked eye. The shoe stretches to take up the shape and length of your feet thus giving you the comfort you seek. What you behold is a shoe that boasts of high protein infused leather, that rotates not a mere 180 degree, but a whole 360,” elaborates the founder. The brand claims that this is probably the first time that a size 6/7/8 can fit into the same shoe. With the collection it is targeting people who are on the run continuously, younger crowd that seeks comfort and casual wear for long hours.
On the retail front, the brand’s strategy hasn’t evolved much over the years. “Our Retail strategy hasn’t changed much over these years. We are proud to say we have been working with a lot of our retail partners since 1992,” says Ravinder. However, it is looking at more international markets and making a strong hold on markets that aren’t our best in terms of numbers.
Our upcoming collections will emphasise more on fashion influenced audience with premium collections and we are in the process of introducing Egoss Premium, a customisable collection, assert the founder. “Our consumers can also expect some collaboration with a fashion influencer which makes the upcoming projects more exciting.”
