Business partners and soulmates, Aradhana and Dhanraj Minawala, have always shared a passion for entrepreneurship and shoes.
With an MSc. in Strategic Marketing, Aradhana graduated from Warwick University, United Kingdom and Dhanraj is a Gemologist from GIA, London – both far from the world of footwear design.
One day, while walking through a bustling shoe market riveted by the materials, accessories and karigars at work, Aradhana found herself struck by inspiration – and there was no looking back!
Identifying a gap in the Indian market, both Dhanraj and Aradhana set out to create a footwear brand that would fit into an unexplored niche – creating ethical, comfortable and on-trend designs that would also be accessibly priced.
And so began the journey of CAI.
Incepted in 2015, ‘CAI’ – meaning ‘to be happy’ in Welsh – has found purpose in bringing the world to its customers’ feet since 2015.
“After acquiring valuable industry experience, I decided to follow my dream. I loved shoes and desired to start an environmentally-conscious venture of our own,” Aradhana Minawala told Apparel Resources (AR), in an exclusive interview.
“The CAI store was launched in 2015 with the aim of providing fashionable non-leather footwear locally and globally to the trend-conscious at affordable prices.”
CAI started out by its founders selling limited pairs of all vegan shoes through a marketplace and then proceeding to do an event at a flea market that would validate their decision and pave the way for immense growth given the love they received for their footwear – CAI fully sold out all 500 pairs of footwear at the said event!
“At CAI, fashion and comfort are synonymous for us. We aim at creating aesthetically functional footwear and international trends at an affordable price,” Aradhana Minawala
Today, Aradhana and Dhanraj’s joint passion has taken the homegrown brand to great heights with extremely successful collaborations, an engaged Instagram community and plans in place for retail expansions.
Product categories, pricing and target market
CAI offers a wide range of footwear options to accommodate various lifestyle scenarios and address the needs of its ever-growing consumer base. With an emphasis on aesthetics and functionality, CAI incorporates an eclectic collection that ranges from flats to heels, to wedges and platforms, to boots and closed shoes amongst others – in multiple colours, patterns and embellishments.
Keeping the Indian consumer in mind, prices range between Rs. 1,000 and Rs. 2,599 for a pair of flats and Rs. 1,999 and Rs. 3,399 for heels, while boots start retailing at Rs. 4,599 onwards.
At a time when consumers had to pay a premium for such basic requirements, CAI’s multifaceted approach changed the footwear game by offering the luxury of comfort, global trends and reliability at affordable prices. Today, with over 300 styles, 150 collaborations, 50 team members and 1,00,000 loyal customers, CAI stands by its core values, focusing on innovation and category expansion.
“At CAI, fashion and comfort are synonyms for us. We aim at creating aesthetically functional footwear and international trends at an affordable price,” Aradhana explained.
CAI’s target audience consists of women who are fashion-forward and trend-conscious. “It is something that anyone can wear and our audience is a mix of young college-going girls to working women and homemakers. If we have to jot it down to a number, it ranges between 20 and 45-year-old women and hence our sizes are made to cater to everyone – starting from size 35 to a size 42,” Aradhana corroborated.
“We always try to think out of the box. We try to use our analysis and thought process over each trend and not take inspiration or trends in a literal manner and that’s what makes us stand out. It is our approach to make footwear trendy yet functional for our audience,” – Aradhana Minawala
Manufacturing and sourcing
Remaining true to its homegrown and bespoke sensibilities, CAI believes in prioritising customer satisfaction to create fun and relatable fashion-forward styles with impeccable quality.
What started off as a side hustle working out from a loft, has in a period of six years, grown to have its own headquarters and warehouse unit in Mumbai, India. The warehouse poses as the main hub for all dispatches that happen throughout the year.
CAI’s main manufacturing unit is also located in Mumbai and their products and materials are sourced and manufactured in the city itself, at their own workshop.
Commenting on the same, Aradhana said, “We like to be as involved as we can be in every step of the way, starting from sampling, seeing it through production, and finally delivering it to our consumers.”
CAI works with Indian craftsmen to merge traditional craftsmanship with new-age sophistication. The brand employs local karigars who are skilled labourers in the footwear industry and also works with local artisans (who comprise both men and women), for techniques such as weaving, raffia construction, embroidery, etc.
“Fashion trends are really changing and I believe that structured heels, pop colours, newer textures are now making their space in the market.” – Aradhana Minawala
The brand’s ethos is rooted in offering new trends to its customers at a fast pace; hence apart from partaking in seasonal launches and offers scheduled for the year, CAI also makes it a point to launch at least 5–7 new products every month to keep up with the ongoing trends.
In terms of replenishing stock online and in-store, the team studies data and trends to understand inventory replenishment and control.
Commenting on the same, Aradhana said, “We analyse how a product performs from its inception to the quarter end. In fact, we have products that go back to 2015 that are still on our website selling and remain our best sellers till date.”
Keeping sustainability at top of the mind
Typically, vegan shoes mean using materials such as PU leather and faux suede which are 100 per cent synthetic. To counter this claim, CAI uses materials such as cotton and satin as fabrics for some of their designs.
“We source the materials from vendors we trust so that it aligns with our requirements and we can maintain the quality and authenticity,” Aradhana said.
She further went on to state, “We are also trying to be more sustainable in small ways in terms of using recyclable boxes and cards that go into the boxes. We make sure to recycle whatever packaging material is not used, for new material. If there are used or old pairs of shoes, we make sure they are donated and used by people who are in need.”
Typically, vegan shoes mean using materials such as PU leather and faux suede which are 100 per cent synthetic. To counter this claim, CAI uses materials such as cotton and satin as fabrics for some of their designs.
Understanding the Indian market
The ever-growing trends and exposure to international trends are driving the need for fashion in India. Commenting on the same, Aradhana said, “There is so much that is happening in the footwear industry and trends internationally that the consumer is more aware and is ready to experiment. The footwear industry is changing rapidly and becoming experimental with fabric construction, structured heels and a lot more.”
With regard to the above, Aradhana discloses some of the key trends in footwear to keep in mind for the season – “Fashion trends are really changing and I believe that structured heels, pop colours, newer textures are now making their space in the market.”
CAI products currently retail both online on the brand’s own website and also at their freshly launched bricks-and-mortar store in Mumbai. The brand is also available with select third party vendors including Nykaa Fashion, Myntra and Amazon. Besides its Indian presence, the brand enjoys a robust retail presence internationally as well in markets such as Mauritius and Kenya.
In terms of expansion, the brand is looking to expand its footwear category with the introduction of sneakers. “We want to be the one-stop shop for all footwear. We will also be introducing a new category of bags by the end,” Aradhana revealed.
Growth is also on the cards for CAI’s supply chain and retail network with the brand planning to set up additional warehouses pan-India and also launching internationally by the end of 2022.
