At UGRA, every design starts with a question: what do we actually need?
Not in the fashion-week sense of “need,” but in the lived, practical, emotional sense. What’s missing from our wardrobes? What do we reach for and not find? What does power look like when it’s personal?
Before UGRA, I was a journalist. That instinct- to observe, to listen, to find patterns in how people live- still guides me today. I watch how everyone is walking into rooms, how people are dressing for work, how we pack for travel, and how we want to present ourselves. I look at how culture is shifting. How needs are evolving.
Some of our designs are born from very specific moments.
The mules came from noticing how often Indian women- especially during weddings and festivals- needed shoes they could slip on with a sari without sacrificing strength or comfort. Something minimal, but sculpted. Structured, but easy.
The gladiators were our first design. They came from a need to feel seen. To take up space- unapologetically.
The bow boots were born from the joy of gift-giving- that precise second when the ribbon unties. We wanted to hold that moment and turn it into something you could wear.
None of our shoes are made for display shelves. They’re built for walking- and watching. They are sculptural not just in appearance but in process: carved slowly, adjusted over months, each line considered.
At UGRA, we don’t follow the calendar. We don’t drop seasonal collections. We build one design at a time. Because we believe luxury isn’t in volume- it’s in intent.
What guides us is not fashion, but form.
Not trends, but truth.
Not noise, but clarity.
And sometimes, that begins by simply watching how someone moves.
-By Debanti Roy, Founder of UGRA