Get your founder story featured
Women Can Startup
Needledust logo

Fashion · New Delhi, Delhi

Needledust

Handcrafted designer juttis reinventing traditional Indian footwear.

Founded by Shirin Mann Sangha

Snapshot

Founded
2014
Headquarters
New Delhi, Delhi
Industry
Fashion
Business model
D2C
Funding stage
Bootstrapped
Markets
India, Global
Last updated
26 June 2026

About Needledust

Needledust makes handcrafted leather juttis in New Delhi, pairing traditional royal moulds with contemporary embroidery. Shirin Mann Sangha, then a journalist, designed her own wedding juttis with ghungroos in 2014, and the response persuaded her to leave newsrooms and build a brand around the craft. Its juttis are made by some of India's finest artisans and have been worn by Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The label later added a men's line and a sister resortwear brand, SAND by Shirin.

Founder

Shirin Mann Sangha

Woman Founder

Founder

Shirin Mann Sangha worked as a journalist before founding Needledust in May 2014, after the juttis she designed for her own wedding took off. She also runs the resortwear label SAND by Shirin.

Industry classification

Fashion Footwear

Ideal customers

Consumers (D2C)

Typical customer segments for a fashion company.

Media coverage

Website, social

Related women-led startups

More in Fashion.

More women-led startups in New Delhi

All founders in New Delhi →

Other Bootstrapped women-led companies

All Bootstrapped companies →

Featured in collections

Frequently asked questions

What does Needledust do?
Needledust makes handcrafted leather juttis in New Delhi, pairing traditional royal moulds with contemporary embroidery. Shirin Mann Sangha, then a journalist, designed her own wedding juttis with ghungroos in 2014, and the response persuaded her to leave newsrooms and build a brand around the craft. Its juttis are made by some of India's finest artisans and have been worn by Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra, Sonam Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The label later added a men's line and a sister resortwear brand, SAND by Shirin.
Who founded Needledust?
Needledust was founded by Shirin Mann Sangha.
Where is Needledust headquartered?
Needledust is headquartered in New Delhi, Delhi, India.
Is Needledust funded?
Needledust is bootstrapped — self-funded rather than venture-backed.
When was Needledust founded?
Needledust was founded in 2014.