Our Story

Hi there,

Thank you for visiting our website. 

I am Nilesh Karani. King's was started by my father, Hemchand Karani, in 1965, in Dubai. At that time, he imported pens, shirts, suiting material, cardigans, nightwear, and many clothing accessories.  

Over the years, our business saw many ups and downs. Dad has decided to keep branded pens to be his main line of focus and started phasing out other product lines. 

By 1995, we were prominent in Branded Writing Instruments. In 1997, we branched out with another store called Pens Corner in Al-Khaleej center in Dubai. As the business grew, it was prudent to have an online presence. We subsequently started www.penscorner.com in 2004. 

Like most people, I, too, was inspired by my father in many ways. The way dressed, the way he greeted people, the way he would tell stories, and many other aspects were like guiding stars. 

Being brought up in the 60s and 70s, we (as a family), were influenced by the way our parents presented themselves. They dressed for the occasion. While a few of them required ethnic wear, most of them were smart casual. It was when my dad has to dress for a party that fascinated me. His tailored suits and shirts would come out. He would get his silk ties out. Cuff links, Pocket Squares, and completing socks would be on display for selection. And his pride possession would be his shoes.

They had to be freshly buffed and shined. The shoes had an accompanying belt and a watch strap. On the whole, once ready, dad appeared like he had a designer dressed him up. 

Dad always wore classic shoe styles. His dress shoes were always welted leather soles. That's the style in which I have grown up. Somewhere through the 80s-90s and the 2000s, shoemakers changed the way they made shoes. Rubber and PVC were prevalent in the majority of the shoe brands. 

I didn't even realize that this transition had taken place as the classic leather soles shoes that I wore in the 80s-90s lasted me for years. It's wasn't till 2014 that I went to buy a new pair of shoes and could not find a brand selling classic styled leather soles shoes. 

In 2017, I got an opportunity to meet with the owner of a shoe brand, making a leather-soled shoe in classic styles. Without blinking an eyelid, I partnered with them to fill the gap that fast fashion had created. I wanted to resurrect the classic shoe. 

During my earlier years, I had self-learned working with computers. I even had an IT-related job in HSBC for over 20 years. IT had a significant influence on my life. 

To set us apart, I wanted to empower my clients to experience the ability to design their shoes. One may ask, why should one create their shoes? Here are a few important reasons why one should style their footwear: 

1. To complement an outfit.
2. Fits the occasion. 
3. Reflects personality.
4. One has refined taste and, most importantly. 
5. You are DIFFERENT

We created our new website www.kingstraders.com which enables our clients to design their shoes using a state-of-the-art interface. I am proud to say the design that the interface renders is 95% accurate. 

Today, we offer the following options in Handcrafted footwear for men and women to design their shoes:

• Formal Shoes - Oxfords, Derby's, Loafers, Monk-straps and Boots
• Casual shoes - Sneakers (various models), loafers and High Tops
• Smart Casual - Slip-Ons and Slippers
• Finishes - Luxury Handpainted Patinas and Stencil Art
• Materials - Leather (plain, grain, pebbled and croc), Suede, Velvet, Linen, and Sartorial fabrics
• Construction - Goodyear Welt and Blake stitch

The 'Design Studio' option on our website has the ability for anyone to create the shoes that they desire. These are handcrafted in Spain from the same factories that make footwear for major luxury brands worldwide. 

We have our new store in Gate Avenue in DIFC where you can view fresh models from our collection and also try out sizing before making an online purchase.

I hope you create something that inspires someone.

Appreciate your attention.

Sincerely - Nilesh

BE DIFFERENT