In a world where we are bombarded with images, inspiration and opinions, it can be hard to stay true to ourselves and trust our own ideas. I sat down with shoe designer Jaswant Stoecklin to discuss authenticity when starting a new venture, the benefits of taking time and the importance of trusting yourself.

Finding herself in New York City with a bachelor's degree at 21, Jaswant felt overwhelmed by the possibilities and noisiness of the fashion world and finding her place within it. She decided to pursue a career in the arts which ironically led her straight back into the arms of fashion. Fate eventually presented itself as Jaswant founded her very own luxury footwear brand - following a pact made with friends whom she met when working at the architecture practice of Herzog & de Meuron. “We made a declaration to start our own business, each within our fields and for me it was the idea to start a shoe brand,” explains Jaswant. “To this day we keep inspiring each other in different ways and hold each other accountable to keep going and strive for more.”

Jaswant felt naturally drawn to accessories when exploring her possible avenues back into the world of fashion. We discuss the heal vs flat debate and the love you can have towards ‘that bag’. After only a short while of speaking, it’s abundantly clear that Jaswant truly does design with a real woman in mind.

Inspired indirectly by the art world, the Jaswant collections are sleek and sophisticated yet fun, with unexpected touches. “Generally my inspiration comes from my passion for contemporary art, photography and architecture,” she tells me. “It can be a small detail of a piece of furniture, the vibrant colours of a painting, the depth of contrast in a photo or the architectural shape of a building, which I will translate into my designs. The twisted heel shape, for example, is a reference to architectural elements.” There is something for everyone within this brand, from minimalists to maximalists and everything in between.

With a focus on true luxury and to ensure her samples are of the best possible standard, Jaswant works with high end producers and manufacturers in Italy, who work with the likes of Louboutin or “the king of shoes” as Jaswant likes to say. It seems natural when speaking to Jaswant that all her efforts within the brand are driven from a sustainable and authentic place. Using family run manufacturing companies enforces the consciousness of giving back, longevity and her true passion for the brand. Having season-less drops was an early decision for Jaswant with the aim to create something that lasts. Accessories have a longevity about them that is more than each season and Jaswant explains that she “specifically wanted styles that could be used for every season”.

But while the Jaswant brand ethos is loud and clear now, it wasn't achieved without working on boundaries and clear intentions. Jaswant discussed with me the way influence from the outside world can be overwhelming. While working with influential producers in the industry, it also taught Jaswant to be true to herself. “I always stick with my ideas, even when told something isn’t possible,” she details as we discuss the steps she found difficult, when creating the brand. “It was less the inspiration, it was more when I was new and I was working with a lot of different people from branding consultants to art directors to PR agencies and buyers, everyone has an opinion and wanted you to do it in a different way.” This was something that Jaswant was flooded with during her first collection of samples however, she stands by the idea of staying head strong, ignoring the noise and trusting her direction. “With time, I found myself to also have a pretty good feeling for it, even if others say differently. I had to learn to trust it, but it was hard at the beginning.”

You speak about your strong heritage and combination of diverse cultures; how do you think this has influenced your designs? Are there any touches in the final product that reference this?

I grew up with two very diverse cultures: my mother, a Swiss artist and graphic designer, has taken me to every museum and gallery exhibition from the age I could walk. And my father, who came from a village in Punjab, India, who tried to share all he could about his cultural background and history. So bridging contrast is part of my identity in every aspect. It just comes naturally to me, like the creative side, I can’t point out how exactly it affects my design process, as it’s an intuitive process for me, which happens when I create something new. For sure, I like breaking rules when I am designing and I like to try what hasn’t been done before. But the love for bright colours, lavish material and embellishment, clearly goes back to my Indian side. While the Swiss side of me, appreciates minimalistic, and reduced forms and shapes with a modern refined silhouette.

We of course, couldn't sit down and talk about starting a brand without touching upon the effects of a worldwide pandemic. While it inevitably caused challenges and setbacks, Jaswant really highlights the fact that it gave us a chance to take a break and reflect on the fashion industry as a whole.

How did the pandemic affect your brand?

The pandemic affected my brand in many ways and as a start up business it was a hard time to navigate through. We had planned the launch of the brand just shortly before the pandemic started, and almost everything projected for the year 2020 didn’t happen. This put me under a lot of pressure and the brand almost didn’t survive. But I managed to face the challenges and found solutions to continue the brand. With all the challenges I would also like to mention the positive sides, which came through overcoming the difficult moments. I was forced to reduce as much as possible and manage every aspect of the brand myself. This gave me back full control over all my decisions and forced me to learn new skills such as digital marketing and how to advertise on social media.

How do you think it affected the industry?

I think we as designers were all forced to take a break and reflect on the whole fashion industry and how things were done…

Overproduction and fludding the market with never ending new trends was a system that suddenly came to a halt. As designers we have the opportunity to look for more sustainable ways going forward into the future. I am imagining seasonless dropp collections throughout the year, and products scaled more towards actual demand.

After taking full charge and doing things my way, a lot of new amazing opportunities opened up for me during these recent months. From a business side, the past year was a huge loss but looking at it from a bigger picture, it helped me keep full control over the brand and keep my creative freedom. I also learned to fully trust and believe in myself and know that I am on the right path, even when things don’t go as planned.

You mention that your shoes are for bold, confident women. If you could have anyone wear your designs who would it be?

When designing some of the pieces, I envisioned them on a stage on someone like Beyoncé, or other performers who embody these qualities, like H.E.R. or Alicia Keys.

So to have Mary J. Blige as the first A-List celebrity to wear my shoes, was a dream come true. In general I design for a woman who likes to stand out wearing something unique, with an unusual detail or made from an eye-catching material.

Visit jaswantshoes.com to shop the collection.

Introducing Jaswant! The shoe designer marking her place in the fashion industry with intuition and a leap of faith