About Kosh-a
Kosh-a was built on the simple idea of introducing the Indian traditional ‘Kohlapuris’ with a modern twist.
The word Kosh-a is derived from Sanskrit, a classical Indian language that has been part of its scriptures since the Bronze Age. It means "sheath" or "covering of the Atman or True self – starting with the physical body and moving inward to the core of the self.
By using non-leather materials, traditional shoe manufacturing methods, and handcrafting each pair, Kosh-a ensures high-quality and comfortable flats and wedge sandals with a unique and individual feel across women of all ages.
A slow fashion brand that is ideal for everyday wear or special occasions.
Kosh-a Values
From the very beginning, it was very important for us to make conscious choices for our growth as a brand and to our customers.
Here’s where we are at so far:
-Our brand values of respecting our environment and its natural habitat have allowed us to explore the option of using alternate forms of leather like faux leather as opposed to using animal skin.
-We focus on small batch production using raw materials from small producers thus eliminating and cutting excess production. We are not subjected to following fashion trends thus limiting our styles and quantities. Our manufacturing partners have no minimum MOQ’s (minimum order quantities) which encourages small batch production.
-All our packaging materials are sustainable, recyclable and 100% plastic free.
If Kosh-a were to be described in three words, the brand would resonate with Clean, Aware, and Nurture.
Kosh-a Craftsmanship
Our statement style, ‘Kolhapuri Chappals’, is originally from the Kolhapur region in Maharashtra, India. As each pair of shoes are artisanal and crafted by hand, no two products will ever look the same. This ensures that each Kosh-a product is of the highest quality and durability.
While curating the products, it was very important to create names that hold traditional values grounded in Indian roots while being modern at the same time, giving emphasizes to the names for both flats and wedges that are versatile and unique. Each shoe describes the purpose of the color and why it was used. The product names symbolize our strong brand identity.
From the founder
Growing up in India, shopping for Kolhapuri chappals was part of my yearly visit to Bombay. My cousins and I would walk hours together on the streets of Bombay shopping these most ethnic footwear a girl in her teens could imagine buying. As a teenage girl, I fell in love with the craft and the intricacies that went into designing these shoes. However, back then, I would only imagine wearing them with ethnic wear and did not experiment with what we call ‘western wear’. It was only after I moved to the US that I looked beyond Kolhapuri chappals as an ethnic accessory and explored multiple new ways of styling them with a blazer I’d wear to work, a pair of jeans and a top to dinner or even a long dress to weddings.
It was then I decided to harness my passion for fashion and learnt more about the international markets, growing my knowledge to open a business to promote ethnic footwear in a foreign land. But my aim was to always create a style of footwear that clearly communicated ‘East meets West’ to its audience. While I had my businesswoman cap on and was working out ways to set up a new business for success, I did not want to deter from my yogic philosophies. I always knew that my business would be an unnatural one where I would give importance to my products and the commercial aspects of running a business without losing focus of my values and everything yoga has taught me and makes me who I am today.
When the idea for Kosh-a came up, I envisioned building a slow fashion brand. Handmade with love, Kosh-a is curated around eco-friendly and sustainable packaging and non-leather materials.
Radhika Jhaver
