A Notch Higher

Dhruv Bhalla believes that it is possible to build a high-quality, affordable footwear brand. “All our shoes are handcrafted in small batches. By producing in small lots we are able to minimize waste and overhang and churn inventory more quickly.

- N Bobo Meitei

At an early age, Dhruv Bhalla was exposed to entrepreneurship. It was the garment export business his parents started. It also introduced him to higher aspects of fashion or designs, and it made him realize that chic look could only be complete with good shoes. His initial attempt was to paint canvas shoes to bring out beauty as well as fashion, and when he observed his college mates in formal attire at placement interviews without crisp and sharp shoes, he was able to identify the missing gap between the mass-produced low-quality footwear category and the premium segment.

So he started with the pursuit to understand the art of shoemaking. He joined a footwear factory in Agra, and at the same time kept looking for factories where his designs or concepts could be developed. He was sure that it should be premium leather, and the emphasis should be on design and quality.

The search took him further to Kanpur, looking for prospective manufacturers. Finally, it ended in Chennai, where he collaborated with an experienced manufacturer who could instantly translate his dream to reality while embedding all the vital elements he had envisioned. The culmination was the launch of 3DM Lifestyle in 2013 and Dapper Shoes in 2016. The leather footwear brands are synonymous with class, caliber, and affordability. The former brand caters to European countries and global markets, while the latter focuses on the Indian and American markets.