Inspired by different facets of life, Rivir shoe designs are more than statements.  Subjects of interest, ideas, fables and fantasies are visible in designs 'which can be a lot more expressive'.

Rivir makes animal and environment friendly, canvas and quirky shoes, for the millennial of today. Unique in all senses, these shoes are true to its word. “I founded Rivir after 4 years of branding and digital marketing experience and a lifetime of practicing art,” says Ankeeta Deb, a chemical engineer and a MICA alumnus. She adds, “Art started as a knack,

went on to become a part of my expressions, which led to custom designing and hand painting on white canvas shoes. This burning passion to make art wearable, on footwear continued, as I found various methods to achieve the final product that was both artsy and sturdy.”

Today Rivir has a workshop with about 10 individuals working to create a brand, which in turn creates unique printed shoes, for both men and women.

“We took about 5 years to understand the market and decode the footwear industry, to iterate and devise a model that helps us have minimal inventory backlog, create new designs every day, a great quality product at an affordable price, within India,” states Deb.

SME WORLD in an email interaction with Ankeeta Deb.

You are a chemical engineer and a MICA graduate. What drove you to rather unusual area of shoe art?

I believe in listening to my heart, speaking my heart and doing what I love. I have been an artist all my life. Got these painting quirks passed down from my father who got those knacks from his father!

I was a good student and knew engineering would sharpen my analytical abilities and MICA gave me the power to know how to market well. So infusing my education was accidental yet planned move, when I decided to start Rivir with Viresh, in 2015.

What kind of challenges you came across in your entrepreneurial journey?

Footwear is a very closed, male dominated industry which is extremely fragmented in India. Moreover, the goods that are of superior quality re generally exported with only the lesser on demand products sold at cheap prices for Indian customers. Getting vendors, setting up the business and getting the word out has been a herculean task, but we still have a long road ahead.

Describe your passion for shoe art.

Art started as a knack, went on to become a part of my expressions, which led to custom designing and hand painting on white canvas shoes. This burning passion to make art wearable, on footwear continued, as I found various methods to achieve the final product that was both artsy and sturdy.

Do you have any competition in this exclusive field? If yes, how do you ensure a special presence in your field?

There are competitors in the hand painted shoes market, however, there are no players in the market that has such a small TAT of 24 hours, who is scaling up fast and is killing it in the custom design space as well. Large manufacturers like Vans and Converse are yet to capture the Indian market and are selling via 3rd Party distributors with block colors of blacks, blues and whites in the casual footwear space!

What kind of infrastructure you have?

We have a workshop in Gurgaon, have our arms spread across the country via our marketing and logistic partners.

What is Rivir shoes USP?

Our designs, our artist collabs, our association with NGOs to create that is not just capitalist, but has a social help in mind!

Our designs are unique, not available anywhere in the market. They are artist sourced and have a unique touch to them.

Moreover, our association with NGOs, have helped us reach the corners of the country to create designs with children and help build a community and amplify talents in schools.

What is your vision and goals?

We aim to become a multi billion dollar business with our selling channels spread globally. We have already started tie ups with global giants like Amazon to open doors to global markets, and leverage the first mover advantage and capture the market.