Be The Designer
Saw a design somewhere you cannot find anywhere else. Have something in your head that does not exist yet. Need a shoe to match an outfit that is still being stitched. Wear a size nobody stocks.
All of that is normal here. We are a workshop before we are a shop, and most of what leaves our atelier has been changed from the standard in some way.
What We Can Change
- Colour. Any shade, on almost any style we make.
- Leather. Smooth, suede, patent, embossed, or specialty hides on request.
- Patina. Hand-painted colour, matched to an outfit or built from scratch.
- Monogram and initials. Applied to the upper or the lining.
- Fabric. Send us your own and we build a matching pair.
- Construction. Height-increasing heels, softer padding, wider fits.
- Size. Beyond our standard EU 40 to EU 47 range.
- Artwork. Hand-painted commissions by independent artists.
Hand-Painted Patina, Explained
Most coloured leather arrives at a factory already dyed, one flat tone across the whole hide. Patina is the opposite. The leather starts pale and colour is painted onto the finished shoe by hand, in layers, one pair at a time.
That is why a patina shoe is darker at the welt and heel and warmer across the toe. It is why the colour shifts as you move through a room, and why a photograph taken at a reception looks nothing like one taken in daylight. Flat dyed leather cannot do this.
It is also why no two pairs are identical, and why patina pairs take longer and cost more than the same shoe in plain leather. You are paying for hours of hand work, not a material upgrade.
We can match a patina to a fabric swatch, a photograph of your outfit, or a colour you describe. See the range on our Oxfords and Brogues and Monkstraps.
Send Us Your Own Fabric
On our fabric slip-ons and juttis, you can send us material from your own outfit and we will build shoes from it.
Grooms use this to match footwear to a sherwani, a jacket lining, or a piece already with their tailor. Ask your tailor for the offcut, send it to us, and we work to it. It is the one thing a ready-made shoe cannot do, however expensive it is.
Browse the base styles in Juttis and Peshawaris and Luxury Velvet Slipons.
Height-Increasing Construction
Available across our boot range and on request elsewhere. The lift is built into the internal construction rather than added as a visible heel, so the shoe looks unchanged from the outside.
Tell us how much lift you want when you enquire. See Boots for the styles this works best on.
Sizes Beyond the Standard Range
Our ready-to-ship range runs EU 40 to EU 47, which is UK 6 to UK 13. Outside that, we make to order.
If you sit between sizes, have a wide foot, or have one foot larger than the other, say so before you order rather than after. We would rather build it right than process a return.
Made for Comfort and Medical Needs
We produce made-to-order pairs with soft padded construction for diabetic wearers, and wider or deeper fits for anyone who needs them. This is standard work for us, not a special favour, and it is worth asking about rather than assuming a handmade shoe cannot accommodate it.
Commissioned Artwork
Hand-painted artwork on velvet or leather, produced by independent artists at your request. Anything from a monogram to a full illustration across the upper.
Artwork is quoted separately from the shoe because it is charged at the artist's rate and depends entirely on what you ask for.
Ordering From Outside India
We ship worldwide from New Delhi and a large share of our bespoke work goes to customers who have never set foot in the atelier.
You do not need to be measured in person. Send us your usual size in UK, EU or US, a photograph of your foot flat on the floor against a ruler, and any fit issues you have had with other shoes. That is enough for us to build to.
For destination weddings and groomsmen orders across several countries, message us before you order. We can hold sizes, ship to multiple addresses, and match a run of pairs to one leather and finish so the whole party looks dressed together.
International orders need a few extra days for processing. Any import duties or taxes at your end are payable by you, not us.
How It Works
- Tell us what you want. WhatsApp is fastest. Send photographs, swatches, a reference shoe, or just describe it.
- We tell you honestly what is possible. Including whether your dates work. If it cannot be done well in the time you have, we will say so.
- We quote. Price and timeline together, before you commit.
- We make it. By hand, in Lajpat Nagar.
- We ship it. Anywhere in the world.
Timelines
Most custom pairs take up to two weeks in the workshop. Patina and artwork commissions can take longer depending on complexity.
If it is for a wedding, start the conversation early rather than in your final month, and aim to have the pair in hand two weeks before the first function so you can break it in.
Questions
Is bespoke more expensive than buying off the shelf?
Usually yes, though not always by much. Simple changes like colour or a monogram add little. Patina, artwork and unusual constructions cost more because they take significantly more hand work.
Can I return a custom pair?
Custom and made-to-order pairs are built for you specifically and are generally not eligible for return or refund. We will always try our best to alter a pair that is not right. This is exactly why we ask about sizing before you commit rather than after.
Can you copy a shoe I have seen elsewhere?
We can work from a reference to build something in that spirit, in your size, your leather and your colour. We do not reproduce another brand's design as a copy.
Do you make women's or children's footwear?
No. We make men's footwear only.
What if I do not know what I want?
That is the normal starting point. Most people arrive with an outfit and no idea what goes under it. Send us the outfit and your dates and we will build the shortlist with you.
Start The Conversation
Message us on WhatsApp at +91 8282827112, write to info@domanishoes.com, or visit the atelier at C-140 Lajpat Nagar 1, New Delhi, open 12:00 PM to 8:30 PM.
Or start from something existing and change it: Wedding, the full range, or read the Wedding Style Guide first.
