A small label, made by hand, made to last

How it started

The label began with a simple frustration. As someone who lives in flats and easy sandals most of the year, Zoya kept buying pairs that looked promising online and then fell apart by the second season — straps that loosened, soles that peeled, footbeds that flattened after a few weeks. The pairs that did last were almost always older, handmade, and impossible to find again.

So in 2023, after months of visiting workshops across Lahore and Karachi and learning how leather footwear is actually built — pattern, last, lining, footbed, sole — the first small run of Aven by Zoya sandals went out to a handful of friends and family. The feedback we kept hearing was the same: they were comfortable from day one, and they held up. That collection became the foundation for everything we make today.

What we make

Our collection focuses on wearable, everyday silhouettes — flat sandals, cushioned slides, kitten heels, block heels and loafers — in classic colour palettes designed to work with the way real wardrobes are built. We avoid trend-chasing drops; instead, styles are kept in production as long as customers keep wearing them, and refined each season based on what we hear back about fit and comfort.

You can browse the current line-up on our home page, or read our latest styling and care notes on the blog.

Craftsmanship

Every pair starts as a paper pattern that is cut by hand from full sheets of leather. Cutting by hand wastes more material than die-cutting on a machine, but it lets our team choose the best part of the hide for each strap so the grain runs cleanly and the edges hold their shape over time. Stitching is done on traditional industrial machines that have been in our workshops for over a decade — slower than modern equipment, but forgiving on thicker leathers.

The footbed is where we spend the most time. Most of our styles use a layered footbed with a foam cushion under a soft leather lining, shaped to give arch support without forcing the foot. Soles are glued, pressed and then hand-stitched at the seam on styles where stitching adds durability. Each finished pair is checked against a reference sample for symmetry, alignment and finishing before it is boxed.

Because the work is done by hand, no two pairs are perfectly identical. Slight variations in grain, colour depth and stitching are part of the character of handcrafted footwear, not a defect.

Materials

We work primarily with locally sourced cow and buffalo leather from established tanneries in Pakistan, chosen for softness, even colour and consistent thickness. Linings are leather or soft suede on most styles to reduce rubbing on bare skin in warm weather. Soles are TPR or leather depending on the silhouette — TPR for grip and flexibility on flat sandals and slides, stacked leather for heels and loafers where structure matters more.

We deliberately keep the materials list short. Fewer suppliers means we can verify the quality of each batch ourselves, and replace anything that does not meet the standard before it ever reaches a customer.

Our mission

We want to build a small, honest footwear label that customers can return to year after year — not because we shouted the loudest, but because the last pair held up. That means producing in volumes we can actually quality-check, paying our artisans fairly for skilled work, and being upfront about what each pair is made of, how it should fit and how to care for it.

We would rather sell one pair that lasts three seasons than three pairs that last one.

Behind the scenes

Aven by Zoya is still a small team. Zoya leads design and quality control, working directly with the workshop on every new style. A small in-house team handles photography, packing and customer support, which is why messages on our contact page are answered by a real person — usually within one business day.

If you have questions about sizing, materials or care before you order, please reach out. We would rather spend time helping you choose the right pair than process an exchange later. You can also read our shipping & returns policy and FAQ for the details we hear most often.