NILUH DJELANTIK: (JP/J.B. Djwan)

As a child, Niluh Djelantik's shoes were always too big or too small. Her mother, a single parent struggling to give her daughter the best education possible, bought her school shoes "three or four sizes too large" so Niluh could get a few years' wear out of them.

That is when Niluh's passion for shoes began. Today she is a world-class shoe designer and manufacturer, with the likes of Uma Thurman and supermodel Gisele B*ndchen wearing her high heels.

"My passion started when I was very young. I can't say we were poor, because Mum sent me to the best school in Bali at the time, Saraswati. She had to work day and night to be able to afford that," Niluh said.

"But we had to adjust our lifestyle; for the uniform Mum would get them made three or four sizes too large so I could grow into them. And that was also true for the shoes. They were always too big and I had to stuff cotton in the toes," she said.

"I told Mum when I started to work I would buy shoes that fit," quips Niluh, who bought her first pair of high heels at Blok M, in Jakarta, for Rp 15,000. "That first pair? They were very, very uncomfortable!"

At the age of 33, taking an interview with her first daughter, baby Niluh Putu Ines, in her arms and her mother nearby, Niluh Djelantik is an elegant, gracious woman with a smile that bursts forth unexpectedly, like a flower turning to the sun.

Despite her growing worldwide fame, she is a delightfully down-to-earth, almost shy woman, with a backbone as strong as the steel that supports her high heels.

This mix of the worldly and the innocent was formed during her childhood, when she lived "in a family with 90 per cent women", who all worked to make enough money to get by.

"I was born in Kintamani and grew up there with my mother. We were a very modest family who had worked as traders for three generations.

"My grandma, uncle and mum had little stalls in the Kumbasari market where they sold clothes. I started working with Mum when I was five. She gave me my own little space in the market," said Niluh, who cherishes those difficult years because they taught her how to get by on a literal shoe string.

Living in a predominantly female household also taught her that a woman could do anything she set her mind to.

At 19, Niluh set out for the capital to study -- a brave step for a girl from Kintamani.

"I decided to get out on my own so I went to Jakarta. That's not the standard thing for a girl from Bali to do. We Balinese do not travel as a rule.

"In fact, it was my Mum who sent me to Jakarta," Niluh said. Her mother, who never went to school or was exposed to women's studies, was a feminist through need.

The lessons she learned working her space in the market while attending school as a child served Niluh well in Jakarta. She worked for an international textiles firm during the day and took business courses at night.

"I started out at the bottom at that office. This was in 1995. In the mornings I worked and at night I studied, for four years. I learned about so many things.

"When I came back to Bali in 2002, I couldn't stand the rhythm of life here. The working conditions in Jakarta were so different -- everything was clear and documented, especially when working with a big corporation. Here in Bali, businesses are run in a family way," Niluh said.

When she started manufacturing shoes, Niluh called on the business skills she had honed in Jakarta, but maintained the family business feel. Her 18 shoemakers, affectionately called "the boys", all call her "sister" and are clearly proud of their work.

That pride is also apparent in every pair of shoes made. One shoemaker makes each pair and documents which shoes are his.

"When people bring their shoes back in for a heel tip or other work, they'll say *I remember making these three years ago'," Niluh said.

"The boys" often meet with clients, including Gisele B*ndchen, the most highly paid model in the world.

"I introduced her to the boys as Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend and they all called out, 'Titanic!'. They said in Balinese, 'she doesn't look like the girl on Titanic', and were not impressed. I had to remind them to be polite since she's a client like any other client," Niluh said.

Comfort and quality are prerequisites in all Niluh's designs. Years of wearing high heels have taught her exactly what she wants in a shoe.

The platform is made of rubber, embedded in the shoe structure. This ensures even weight distribution, regardless of heel height. Triple leathers are used with leather stacked heels. Niluh Djelantik shoes end up as beautifully crafted pieces of wearable art.

"We repair, right down to new leathers without charge, so clients have their shoes for a lifetime -- they can even hand them down to their daughters.

"Sometimes (when shoes are brought in for refurbishment) *the boys' say *but sister, these are really old. I remember making them years ago'. Then I say *so what, it's free', and I think that reflects the value we put into these shoes," said Niluh pointing out that expensive shoes deserve after-sales service.

"I know what it's like when you buy an expensive pair of shoes and go back to the shop and don't get the service that reflects the price of the shoes."

Her shoes are now sold in 20 countries around the world, including Australia, France, New York and Spain. Originally labeled under the name Nilou, a spelling twist on her name thought more palatable for European tastes, Niluh has re-branded her shoes as Niluh Djelantik.

"Everything that goes into these shoes is here in Bali. Since the shoes are designed and made here, it's important to reflect their Balinese origins," said the girl from Kintamani who, these days, wears the best-fitting shoes around.

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