The problem with fast fashion is that everyone ends up owning the same outfits, shoes and bags as you. If you love owning pieces that are unique, head over to Payal Patil’s Instagram page (@pcube_art) and shop. Patil is a 24-year-old Pune-based artist who hand paints everything! No, really! Be it a bag, shoes, home decor items, t-shirts… the list is endless. Her designs are fun, in-sync with latest trends and she also customises them.
She began hand painting shoes around two years ago out of boredom. After working in a software company for a bit, she decided to ditch her job to instead paint full-time. And ever since, she’s been putting her paintbrush to better use. Eventually, you’ll see more digital art too. But for now, you could get something handcrafted.
We saw multi-coloured shoes that have an ombre kind of effect that we’re in love with. There’s a travel-themed shoe, a music-themed one and Bharatnatyam-themed kettle, watermelon cotton tote, coasters, portraits, bookmarks, and whatnot.
Whether you want Patil to buy a product and hand paint it or send in your own purchases to elevate, is up to you. So you could ship off old shoes and trade in freshly hand painted ones. No one will know its the shoe you’ve been wearing all year.
Patil also paints wall murals and graffiti for restaurants and cafes. The smaller pieces like bookmarks, coasters, keychains start at INR 50 and can go up to INR 100. While shoes, t-shirts and portraits start at INR 500 (includes product plus hand-painted work).
Keep an eye out for their hand-painting workshops. They also conduct online ones!