Will & Way: June 2024
Summer breaks, thought leadership, and WOC-created cowboy boots!
First, some housekeeping! I’m taking a summer break from the newsletter starting next month; length of this break TBD. I need to cut wayyyyy back on inputs so I can curate my output, if you know what I mean. (Note: If you support this newsletter financially and want to adjust your commitment in light of this info, please do so!)
Second, if you’re in the market for thought leadership content, check out Rep Cap’s Off the Cuff offering; I’ll be partnering with them to do some of the interviews, so this could be a chance for us to work together to create a treasure trove of content for your biz! And, they’re giving away three free sessions this month, so enter to win ASAP!
This month, I’m excited to feature a Q&A with Mitali Gupta, the Berlin-based founder of Chalo, a line of cowboy boots for your everyday life. I have this pair and can attest to their magic and versatility, and I love that it’s a cowboy boot company owned by a WOC—something I’ve never seen before.
Mitali is from Kanpur, a city in North India, and grew up in Mussoorie, where she attended boarding school in the Himalayas. From there, she went to school and started her career moving between New York, London, and Dublin before relocating to Berlin during the pandemic.
You've had some impressive work experience, from AVP at Citi to Senior Manager of Product Development & Innovation at HelloFresh. Tell me a little about how Chalo came to be and why you made this pivot.
Oof, this feels like it may have been a long time coming! From the early days of my professional journey, I’ve wanted to do something creative. As I switched between jobs, industries, and countries, I started to explore the implications of what leaving the traditional workforce would mean. The pivot to Chalo felt (and still feels!) very scary but also fairly natural, especially having seen my grandfather, father, and sister have entrepreneurial careers. And, Chalo is just that extra bit special because it is a homegrown project.
I grew up seeing my father wearing cowboy boots in the 90s in India, and they became a part of my family and heritage ever since. At the time, our tannery only made cowboy boot “uppers”, the distinct, decorative upper portion of cowboy boots. Many people perceive cowboy boots as working or riding boots. But my sister and I grew up wearing them everywhere and saw them being styled and adapted for many occasions.
People around me have been fascinated by the boots and excited to try them, but they're a little hesitant at first. For them, cowboy boots seem foreign for everyday life, especially to women. This is how Chalo was born: from a hope to combine traditional cowboy boot designs with a modern touch so that they can be more versatile in form and function, fit for the daily life of many women, across many communities.
Growing up, my sister and I would have a little fun of our own: we’d go into the factory to design a few products. In that sense, some part of Chalo already started since my childhood, but I officially gave an identity and story to the brand in the Spring of 2023.
What differentiates Chalo from other brands in the space?
As the fashion industry moves towards more responsible ways of production, it has been imperative for us to build Chalo in a thoughtful way from the ground up. This has meant being transparent and responsible about our production processes. Where possible, we utilize solar energy for our production needs.
We air and sun dry all of our leathers—in this context, a luxury in India—to keep machine and chemical use to a minimum. Our leathers are heavy metal free and our lining leathers are vegetable retanned. It is our responsibility to adequately treat exposed materials that may result from our making process. A critical step for us is to treat wastewater and we do this with the help of an in-house wastewater treatment system (i.e. an Effluent Treatment Plant).
To show appreciation for our makers, my father has implemented a program to support the early education of the children of our artisans. Such initiatives and the ability to really make that little bit of a difference, because we are small, we are homegrown, and we are on the ground, is very special.
And finally, possibly one of our favorites, also inspired by my father, we have dedicated a small area within the premises to support biodiversity, i.e. a food forest to grow our own vegetables, fruit, and other plants.
Can you explain the small-batch production process?
Our tannery is located in Kanpur and has specialized in cowboy boots for 25+ years. Tanning its own leather to ensure quality and versatility, a core aspect of cowboy craft, it also supports Chalo’s small-batch production values.
The small batch production helps us to avoid excess inventory and overproduction. The trims and discarded pieces from the production process are used to make components of other small and upcycled products, i.e. puller tabs, stoppers (for zips), and patchwork, which would otherwise end up in landfilled waste.
We also have the ability to customize your cowboys: both for women and men. Recently, I met someone from the US at a wedding in Delhi and we decided to co-design a pair of cowboy boots for him. The other day, he sent me a message that made me smile: “These boots catch compliments all around town and I have danced all night in them! They are far superior even to the boots I bought in Texas.” These moments that push us to explore new techniques and designs have been really inspirational and fun for our team, as well as our customers.
Handcrafted boots often come with a hefty price tag, while Chalo boots are pretty affordably priced. Can you discuss your strategy behind this?
Great question! With Chalo, I wanted to create something that would simplify women’s wardrobes and save space. This is where handcrafted, versatile, and quality boots come into play. I have a strong aversion to wastefulness and did not want to compromise on these elements.
At the same time, it was important to me that the boots are accessible to many demographics and communities. Our launch collection is intentionally designed to be simple and easy to style, so even if you own one pair of Chalos, you can wear them in several different ways. The idea is that it can easily complement what you are wearing or set the tone for an outfit, so alongside the price, even design-wise, they are very accessible.
I also saw a gap in the market where people were looking for “quality, handmade boots at an accessible price” and this is where Chalo fits in very well.
All that being said, as a small business, you need to be prepared for a lot of things, one of which is staying relevant and evolving with market conditions. Quality and accessibility will always be equally important to me as is fairly acknowledging our makers and their skill. Naturally, this can impact the pricing of our products over time.
What's next on the horizon for Chalo?
I’d really like to expand my context for the brand and create more community-driven experiences. I’m working on collaborating with other like-minded networks to create spaces that support emerging creators and inspire them to share their work.
For example, I recently did a pop-up in New York, Mumbai, and Berlin where I partnered with emerging designers and small women-led businesses from New York, Kenya, and parts of India, Nepal, and Europe. These pop-ups became an incredible space for artists, designers, gallery owners, and new entrepreneurs to share their work, support their local communities, and keep learning. Getting out and connecting with like-minded networks can be so uplifting and it is these offline events where I really feel alive.
I’d also love to hear and engage with my community even more. I personally reach out to every customer and after they’ve had a few weeks to wear the boots, I ask about their experience with the product and brand. I love these conversations because I learn so much from them: women who have been “wanting to wear cowboy boots, but have been so unsure as a WoC if they would look okay” or have “always been intrigued by them, but never made the leap to owning a pair until now” or others who have found Chalo to be their “go-to footwear” because the boots have given them a confidence boost in how they dress and feel. The beauty of the digital world is that our community can be extremely dispersed and diverse, but still remain connected. These insights also help me to design the best experience I can.
Chalo is still a small brand, so sharing it with people like yourself and Will & Way, who truly believe in the brand, the product, and our ethos is so powerful. It’s these moments, word of mouth, and organic growth that has been incredibly helpful in the early days of the brand. I also write a monthly newsletter to share my inspiration, making methods, and new designs. With the newsletter, my hope is to support the stories and craft of small businesses, share fresh discoveries from the world of design and slow living, and hear from and tell the stories of our customers – their favorite Chalo moments, self-expression and styling, inspirations, and more.
Alongside all of this, I will also be releasing new designs, so stay tuned!
Keep up with Chalo on IG or by signing up for Mitali’s newsletter.
Check out some of my latest published work:
How Marketers Can Get Started With AI, According to Ruth Favela of Tomorrow.io (Managing Editor)
Qualio Boosts Productivity 6x With Goldcast and Content Lab (Goldcast)
How can product managers work with user feedback for B2C digital products? (GoPractice)
The Time for DEIJ Work is Now (DevelopWell)
If you’re looking for a writer/editor or need help with admin/project mgmt tasks at your company, let’s talk! I’m always open to new work and interesting projects.
Resources/Opportunities:
If you missed my spiel on Rep Cap’s Off The Cuff thought leadership giveaway, click here to learn more
See Change is a radical financial community for creators of color
Listening:
I can’t stop listening to Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar. It’s the perfect song for….everything. (Also, this episode of The Read breaking down this song and the Kendrick/Drake beef in general was so good.)
I listened to None of This is True by Lisa Jewell; the production value is off the charts, especially for an audiobook, and it features one of my favorite actresses from The Split on Hulu (a great show). However, I found the novel VERY gripping and then anti-climactic.
Watching:
Also anti-climactic after a really promising start: The Veil with Elisabeth Moss
I have been watching TV while walking on my walking pad to meet my 10K steps a day. I finished and recommend: The Bear S2; We Were the Lucky Ones (an INCREDIBLE true story!); Fargo S5; The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young
Finished and felt so-so about: Masters of the Air, Under the Bridge
Watched with my 8-year old stepdaughter and loved every second of it (although the PG-rating on movies from my childhood is still so questionable): Sister Act, The Sound of Music, The Babysitters Club
Reading:
I finished Daughter by Claudia Dey and found it such a gripping, immersive narrative on familial dysfunction.
I also read The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI Dr. Fei-Fei Li and enjoyed getting a peek behind the curtain of machine learning + the AI world
This piece on Brittney Griner's Russian imprisonment was harrowing and riveting
On parental regret: Online forums aside, there are almost no spaces where a parent can discuss regret. Some of this is for good reason—no child should have to hear that they’re regretted—but what other human experience is there about which one will probably be judged a monster for having any regret at all?
Instagram as delusional self-care
I hope everyone has an amazing start to summer. Thanks for being here with me, month after month.
xo,
Nikki
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You had me at WOC-created cowboy boots!!