<img title="A variety of hand-painted shoes available on F-Gali's website" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/21foot-shoes-1.jpg" alt="A variety of hand-painted shoes available on F-Gali's website" /> A variety of hand-painted shoes available on F-Gali's website
A few&acirc;u00c2u0080u00c2u0088years back, circumstances led 25-year-old city resident Nida Charfare to opt for B.Com, a career choice she regretted immediately, and slipped into depression until she reconnected with her childhood hobby of painting.
Today, she is one of 15 artists who work with F-Gali (F stands for Fashion), a two-year-old Thane-based design-led footwear label that provides a platform to talented but struggling artists across India. F-Gali has sold over 8,000 shoes, generating revenue of '52 lakh. Now, in order to sustain the start-up, the team has put up a crowdfunding campaign of '7 lakh, live on Wishberry for the next 10 days.
<img title="Design by Saif Khan" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/21foot-shoes-2.jpg" alt="Design by Saif Khan" /> Design by Saif Khan
"When we began, we only had two artists working with us. Over time, we have expanded our reach. The idea behind the campaign is to pool in money to scale up our operations and empower the artists," informs 25-year-old ex-engineer Shakeef Khan, who founded F-Gali with 27-year-old sales analyst Sujeet Madhogaria. Both come without a background in shoe design and now, helm a team of seven including a couple of stylists.
What's your story? From quirky headphones and Aztec prints to superheroes, a variety of theme-based designs for made-to-order footwear, priced at '1500, are displayed on the brand's portal. Once a user places the order, the artists, who have been provided with converse shoes, are asked to hand-paint the pair.
<img title="Design by Hiral Patel" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/21foot-shoes-3.jpg" alt="Design by Hiral Patel" /> Design by Hiral Patel
"It's like work-from-home, where they are paid an amount upfront for the effort. Post the campaign, the deliveries will also include back stories of the artists. Most of them are college students, with an average age of 20. For them, art is all about hopes and dreams rather than a profession. They will also be given royalty on sales," informs Khan.
Last month, the team roped in the artists based on a contest on Indiefolio, titled He(art) Story, which helped them gain insights into the artists and their backgrounds. For instance, Hiral Patel is a student of Raheja College, and uses art as a form of expression post demise of her grandmother, while 24-year-old Siddesh Mudalgi, who couldn't complete his HSC, was encouraged to take up painting by his father.
<img title="Nida Charfare paints a pair of shoes for F-Gali" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/21NIda-1.jpg" alt="Nida Charfare paints a pair of shoes for F-Gali" /> Nida Charfare paints a pair of shoes for F-Gali
Going digital The campaign will enable the team to print the designs digitally. Funding the campaign also allows you to pre-order a pair that will be shipped by November. "With an increase in demand, the process of hand-painting becomes tedious. We have over 600 artworks ready and wish to outsource the printing to a company in China to match with the standards of other consumer brands," says Khan, adding that Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha sported their footwear in Akira, and they recently gifted a pair to Boman Irani.
<img title="Shakeef Khan" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/sep/21Shakeef-Khan-1.jpg" alt="Shakeef Khan" /> Shakeef Khan
Log on to <a href="https://www.wishberry.in/" target="_blank">www.wishberry.in</a>

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A crowdfunding campaign seeks your help to empower struggling artists and college students, expressing imagination on shoes

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