A 16-Year-Old Built a Luxury Shoe Brand That Hit $80K a Month

Who built it, and what they built

Kartik Gurmule founded KASA, an online boutique selling luxury leather footwear and accessories for men and women, with a collection of over 270 shoes. He also co-founded Dropshyp, a separate venture connecting businesses with overseas suppliers.

The range covered lace-ups, oxfords, boots, loafers, pumps, sandals, and leather goods like briefcases, wallets, and duffel bags. Every pair was hand-painted and handmade with Blake-stitching by a partnered manufacturer in Milan, from designs created in the UK, with brogue detailing as the brand's specialty.

KASA marketed to customers in the USA, UK, Australia, and Europe. The business is no longer running — it started in 2018 and shut down in 2023.

Where the idea came from

Kartik began doing small client projects at 12, building websites and running marketing. After secondary school he discovered sneaker culture through platforms like FlightClub and StockX, and used his contacts to source hyped shoes without waiting in line.

That sneaker resale idea collapsed within a month. Indian customs fees and international courier costs to US buyers ate any profit, so he abandoned it.

On a family trip to Italy, he visited the factory behind a pair of Chelsea boots he wanted and saw how major brands produced their footwear there. That visit shifted his focus from sneakers to derby shoes, ankle boots, and loafers — categories he judged to have far broader demand than sneakers alone.

He hired UK designers for the 2019 collection, shortlisted manufacturers across Europe and China, and signed one with facilities in Milan and Guangzhou. Planning, convincing the manufacturer, and building the website took about six months, all self-funded from savings earned in his earlier ventures.