How Neeman's started

Amar Preet Singh and Taran Chadha founded Neeman's in 2018, focused on everyday casual footwear, a category where Indian buyers often had to choose between inexpensive but low-quality shoes and expensive international brands with little in between.

The problem they saw

Comfortable, well-made everyday shoes suited to Indian conditions and price sensitivities were harder to find than the category's size suggested. Budget footwear frequently sacrificed comfort and durability, while premium international sneaker brands were priced well above what many buyers considered reasonable for a daily-wear shoe. There was also growing awareness among some buyers about the materials and manufacturing behind their clothing and footwear, an angle most footwear brands in India had not addressed directly.

What they sold first

Neeman's launched with casual, comfortable shoes made using natural and sustainable materials such as merino wool, positioned as an everyday alternative to typical sneakers, priced to sit between cheap, low-durability options and premium international brands. Comfort and material choice were both central to the pitch from day one, rather than treating the shoe as purely a fashion or price play.

The decisions that mattered

Choosing sustainable materials as a defining feature, rather than an afterthought, gave Neeman's a specific point of difference in a footwear market where most competitors talked mainly about style or price, not what the shoe was actually made from.

Selling directly to customers online let the brand explain its material choices and comfort claims in detail, and gather direct feedback to refine fit and construction, rather than depending on a retail buyer's judgment about what would sell.

The company positioned its pricing carefully in the middle of the market, aiming to be seen as a genuine step up from ordinary budget shoes without asking customers to pay international premium-brand prices for a similar everyday product.

What a small brand can take from this

A well-defined price gap between cheap and premium options in a category can be a strong place to build a brand, provided you can genuinely justify the difference through material or comfort rather than branding alone.

Leading with a specific, honest material or manufacturing story can differentiate a brand in a category where most competitors talk mainly about looks.

Selling direct lets a new brand explain the reasoning behind its choices in a way a crowded retail shelf never could, which matters when your differentiation depends on details customers need to understand.

If your product's story needs more than a shelf tag to tell it properly, you can build that story into your own store with early access.

Varchas Stores is not affiliated with Neeman's. This is an editorial story based on public reporting, written for founders who are starting out.