Edgardo Osorio, the 39-year-old creative director and founder of Italian footwear and lifestyle brand Aquazzura, is a self-confessed indophile who has visited the country several times over the past decade. So it was only natural that he opened a store in New Delhi’s luxury mall The Chanakya.

The Colombian-born, Miami-raised designer, who launched the label in 2011 with a mission to create beautiful yet comfortable shoes that let women dance the night away, has a presence in more than 58 countries with clients ranging from European royalty to Hollywood and Bollywood stars. In a freewheeling chat with Business Today, Osorio spoke about his love for India, his journey, growing his brand and the future. Edited snippets:

How important is India as a market for you?

I think it’s a market that has huge potential. We have had fabulous Indian customers for a long time. And more and more, I see the region growing.

People say that India is an emerging market, but Indians were buying luxury long before anyone else. And so it’s a market that I think is kind of having a different kind of comeback with a new clientele. So there is huge potential.

We are probably the number one luxury wedding and party shoe brand and this is the land of weddings and parties. We are known for making the most comfortable heels and I think Indian women understand that and will enjoy discovering the brand.

But why did you decide to come to India now, why not earlier?

I think it is the right time to be in India as the market is ready for us. But at the same time, it was about finding the right partner. (Aquazurra has partnered with DS Luxury for its foray into India.) Also, many Indians are now familiar with our brand as they have bought it all over the world.

Can you tell us a little more about the brand and its history?

Aquazzura means blue water in Italian. I was in Capri, on a terrace overlooking the sea and I said to myself that I wanted a name that reminded me of summer, the Italian holidays. I wanted the brand to be about a modern dolce vita. I set it up when I was 25 and had attended 12 weddings in one summer. I love to dance, but I noticed that most women complain that their shoes kill them half an hour after they hit the dance floor. And so I thought, there is an opportunity to make beautiful and comfortable shoes.

And after that summer, I went to New York to see what’s in all the department stores. And I remember being in Bergdorf, and there were all these designers I knew, but they were all old. Like, at least 30 years older than me. And I thought there was an opportunity to be the shoe designer of my generation.

Because, you know, maybe young girls don’t identify as much with someone who’s 55 or 60, even though they’re very talented and their mom’s closets are full of those shoes. Maybe they want someone their own age to design something for them. And so, I decided to take a leap of faith and create Aquazurra in 2011 with just $15,000 in my bank. He would make them by hand in Florence and then take a suitcase full of shoes to New York, where he would present them in multi-brand stores. Social media was starting and that helped me. Two years later we set up our first store in Florence. Today we have stores in Florence, London, New York, Miami, Doha, Dublin, Milan, Sao Paulo, Capri, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Taipei, St. Tropez, Manama, Kuwait, Riyadh and now New Delhi.

What inspires your designs?

I am fortunate enough to travel seven to ten months each year around the world for pleasure and business. I love exploring cultures. Every culture has so much beauty, especially a culture as rich as India, where there is fashion, music, art, dance, everything. Culture and women inspire me.

I have the pleasure and privilege of meeting incredible women around the world, and seeing what they wear, how they put things together, what they think. I love to listen, and you know, it’s fun if you just listen, so many interesting things come out of the conversation.

So it all comes together in my mind. When I sit down to design a shoe, it can be anything that strikes me. So many times I’ve been in a restaurant and asked for a napkin to draw on while waiting for my food.

Will your entire collection be available in India?

At the moment we are focusing more on accessories, but I would also love to bring homewares to India. For now, it will be shoes, bags and jewelry. We will be launching glasses next year and they will be available in India as well. I’m also thinking about launching a capsule for men’s shoes.

Aquazurra stands out for its non-logos, be it shoes or bags. Was it a conscious decision?

You don’t need a logo when there is a design signature. I believe that elegance does not require logos or branding. You know an Aquazura shoe, when you see it, you don’t need to see the logo.

Will you be looking at an Indian inspired collection? Will we see you manufacturing here?

I launched one a few years ago, but I would love to collaborate with an Indian designer and launch a range. My shoes are handmade in Tuscany, an hour from Florence, but I do a lot of embroidery in India and that will continue.

What’s next for the brand?

My dream has always been to become a lifestyle brand. So we’re launching glasses and a men’s capsule, as I said. But we are also entering the F&B space and launching our first Aquazurra bar in Rome which will open in the spring. We are also launching candles and room scents and doing other things within the interior category. So there are a lot of projects going on.