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iluh Djelantik talks about her ever-expanding global shoe brand and inspiring work ethic, as well as her simple and grounded approach to living a happy and fabulous life.

Her genteel and kindhearted demeanor is heartwarmingly infectious and totally refreshing for someone who has been dearly known as one of Indonesia’s best shoe designers. Niluh pleasantly reminds us of a best friend who makes us feel good about ourselves with her charms, and of course, her gorgeous shoe designs.

In Niluh’s eyes, a woman should be confident and must believe in herself, and moreover, ought to appreciate and love the beautiful things in life. And this is the kind of woman who Niluh continuously portrays through her designs. “My shoes are also dedicated for women who love good quality and understand that comfort doesn’t always come with pain.”

Though she didn’t have any formal education in shoe design or professional experience in the industry prior starting her own brand, Niluh was, and still is, an ardent shoe devotee, and she certainly knows how to fuse these womanly characters into her products.

“My ultimate goal and dream is very simple. It’s for our creation to be in every woman’s heart.”

Niluh is also eager to change the perception that Indonesian products are inferior compared to the international high-end brands that women usually wear.

Instead of creating misleading advertising campaigns or competing with existing brands, she has introduced the Niluh Djelantik experience that comes with the shoes, starting from high quality and beautiful designs to great customer service that lasts long after the purchase.

Since establishing her own label Nilou in 2003 — now rebranded as Niluh Djelantik — the Balinese designer is staying true to her design philosophy to create top quality shoes made with love. “My team and I realize that it’s not perfection that we’re offering to customers, and it’s not only about shoes. Our basic philosophy is that every pair of Niluh Djelantik shoes are created from the heart by our shoe artisans,” she explains.

And Niluh’s loving nature clearly transcends beyond crafting refined footwear. It’s reflected in her close relationships with her clientele. Personally, Niluh loves surprises and it has become part of her interaction with customers, to shower them with unexpected extra attention.

“We send them floral arrangements on their birthdays or anniversaries, lovely gifts that come with their purchases or even a small gesture, for instance, helping them with a reservation while they are in Bali.” It’s a unique way of letting Niluh’s clientele know that they’re truly special to her.

Today, Niluh still runs her business by using a traditional made-by-hand process alongside her super skillful shoes artisans, aka “the boys”, who do their best to deliver top-notch footwear and show that Indonesian products are not always equal to low quality, mass goods.

“I’m very fortunate to live in Bali with its rich culture as there are still many hidden treasures I have yet to discover. Bali has provided us with some great local artwork that entwines beautifully with our shoe designs,” she says. For instance, Niluh regularly collaborates with traditional Balinese wood carvers to create stunning intricate wooden details on the shoes.

Her shoe artisans also constantly showcase many amazing examples of craftsmanship. “It’s the details that count, be it hand-woven leather shoes, full studded sandals with hand-stitched soles, or full plaited leather heels. Each pair displays their own trademark of being locally made by a Balinese artisan.”

Currently, Niluh and her manufacturing team is working with seven international lifestyle brands, collaborating in designing and developing their footwear line. As for the Niluh Djelantik brand, it’s now covering more international ground, from Switzerland to Montenegro.

The local market, she says, has also increased rapidly with more Indonesian women choosing Niluh Djelantik as part of their daily outfit. This definitely sparks the ultimate satisfaction for Niluh, and proves that Indonesian women are proud and happy of sporting a local product.

Thus, Niluh is striving to spoil her local clientele even more by launching her second outlet, a 250-square meter flagship store in Bali. This new shoe playground, which opens this mid-March, is more spacious and provides a more cozy and plentiful shopping experience, showcasing the latest Niluh Djelantik collection, Niluh Djelantik Homme, and Niluh Djelantik Petite as well as an accessories line designed by her best friend, Johnny Ramli.

Considering her footwear business as part of a wonderful life that she loves, Niluh spends most of her days with her dedicated team at her newly built 700-square meter shoe atelier in Canggu, Bali.

Apart from working and communicating with the team and customers, Niluh loves to arrange things and clean up the factory. “I know this sounds strange, but often I find great inspiration while doing it. I also like to give an example to the team that we have to be able to do things that may be less important than our position. Because at the end of the day, this less important stuff will be essential support for us when we decide to be independent and create our own business,” says Niluh.

Niluh is blessed with a family that has fully backed her professional endeavors since day one, especially her mother who’s still taking care of the entire business team. In fact, it was her husband who was already working in the footwear industry that encouraged Niluh to enter the shoe business.

“For me and my family, our workplace is the place where we also play and call it home. I consider the boys and the girls in Niluh Djelantik as my own family.”

Nevertheless, as a mother and wife, Niluh is keen on spending quality time with her family whenever she’s off work or while she’s traveling outside Bali.

Niluh loves visiting many different places in Indonesia and abroad as a way of enjoying intimate family moments and collecting creative, unique ideas for her work.

“When I’m free on weekends, I usually take my little daughter, Niluh Putu Ines, around the island or just hang out in our favorite beach near our home.”

Reading is also a favorite pastime for Niluh, to escape from hefty work stress. “It’s been part of my daily activity since I was 5 years old. I read every evening before I go to sleep to release my mind after a hectic shoe day,” she says.

Art and design books with topics such as fashion, interior design, architecture and photography are included as Niluh’s favorite choice of reading materials.

 “I also like reading fashion magazines, to be aware of the current trends and to find color and accessory ideas for the new collections.”

Niluh is gracious and forever grateful. She simply states, “I don’t have any regrets in life,” when asked. And while she lived a very modest life as a young girl — she was raised by a single mother and her mostly women relatives — she admits to having a joyful childhood.

After returning from Jakarta in 2002, Bali has given Niluh a newfound perspective in appreciating its laid-back “everyday is Sunday” lifestyle. At the beginning, she used to get uptight with the Balinese relaxed lifestyle and with the fact that people tended to take things easily with no deadlines. “But now, living in Bali for the last 10 years has taught me that sometimes it’s no use rushing things. It’s good to take time without trying to fight the whole situation.”

As a Balinese who often travelled outside the island, the completeness of Bali gave Niluh the freedom to appreciate the many other interesting places she visited, and to return to her homeland with full gratitude. “All those travels have made feel more blessed to be living in Bali and I couldn’t imagine living my life elsewhere,” she declares.

Convenience is another keyword when describing Niluh, in this case, in her fashion reference. “I’m quite simple with my taste in clothing and fashion. Every time I find something I love, I usually buy a few of them in the same color, whether it’s for my outfit or shoes. This is a habit that others don’t know outside of my family and close friends,” she confesses.

But most admiring of all is the sweet humble manner Niluh expresses when talking about her global clientele. Although many international A-list celebrities have been known to don a pair of Niluh Djelantik beauties, this fact hardly interferes with Niluh’s commitment to maintain a close connection with all of her customers and
to fulfill her dream of creating something magical for every woman.

“For us, each customer is a celebrity in her own outstanding way, whether she’s a public figure, an international personality, a dedicated housewife or a young lady who has just finished her study and wears our shoes to her first day of work. They all hold a special place in our heart, and our services remain the same regardless of who they are.”

These women, as Niluh explains, have given something that she and her entire team genuinely value and are thankful for; their continuous trust in choosing a dazzling pair of Niluh Djelantik shoes with great pride and appreciation.