Childhoods are always amazing, but only now when we think about it; back then, it was, well, not so charming. Especially the Monday mornings, waking up early in the morning, yet being late, and getting ready for school was horrendous. I used to forget to polish my school shoes. There was one shoe polishing shop on the way to my school, and I often used to go to that shop to get my shoes polished. I still remember the smile on our 'polish-Bhaiya's' face, as bright as those mornings. Later, I learned that his entire family depends on his shoe polish business. It was, in fact, his family business. 

Where does the Shoe Polish Tradition Come From?

Since medieval times, people have used Dubbin, natural wax, to soften and waterproof their leather items. The purpose was not to make the leather shine. As leather with a high natural veneer became popular in the 18th century, a high glossy finish cleaner became important, particularly on shoes and boots. In many such cases, people often cleaned their shoes in their homes using lanolin or beeswax as a base.

During the 19th century, even though many forms of shoe polish were available, they were rarely referred to as shoe polish or boot polish. But, they were often called blacking or simply continued to be referred to as Dubbin. The first commercial shoe polish was made up of sugar, vinegar, black dye, and water. The problem was that this substance, as with the blacking, came off onto people's clothes. An animal byproduct called Tallow was used to manufacture a simple form of shoe polish at this time. Chicago, Illinois, where 82 percent of the meat consumed in the United States was processed, became a major shoe polish producing area for this reason.

Cut to 1903, shoe polish was not well known as a purchasable product, nor was it particularly sophisticated. However, the sales were not especially high. A few brands, like Nugget, were available. Shining people's shoes gradually caught on, and soon many shoeshine boys in the city streets were offering shoe shine using a basic form of shoe polish and a polishing cloth. In our country, the best example of this has always been the Mumbai railway station.

Life of Shoe Shiners in Mumbai

For people who travelled to Mumbai, their traveling expenses once included the costs of shoe shining on the railway platforms. According to the railway officials, even though the railways has maintained that the Mumbai suburban is a loss-making exercise, the Western Railway is allegedly mulling over a proposal to induct shoeshine boys who operate on platforms as railway employees. 

Shoe shining has been a contest at railway stations since the city's suburban railways in 1853. Until the train services were shut down during the lockdown, more than 1,000 shoe shiners earned their living at Mumbai's suburban railway stations.

Ravi Kumar, 55, who used to sit at Wadala station, says that for the first time in 20 years, he doesn't have a job, he has no income, and odd jobs are also difficult to come by. So he started selling vegetables at a local market. Ravi and his family left Mumbai in May and walked to his village near Aurangabad—it took them 10 days. The move has thrown Ravi's children's education into jeopardy. His son and three daughters were enrolled in schools in Mumbai. He took them to Mumbai so that they could have a decent education. Now he has no idea how their future will turn out because he has left the city with hardly any money. 

Ram represents the major wedge of shoe shiners in the city, who stand at an agonizing juncture of their lives. 

To brighten the lives of Mumbai's shoe shiners Metro Brands and The Social Lab launched the CSR initiative 'Ek Kadam Aage' at Rail Nikunj Hall, Mumbai Central. 

Ek Kadam Aage

The CSR initiative aims to empower shoe shiners working in Mumbai's railway stations between Churchgate to Mahalaxmi, Malad to Kandivali, VT to Masjid Bunder, and Matunga to Byculla through this endeavor.

The CSR initiative helps these shoe-shiners improve their earning potential by training them on boot-polishing techniques, organizing health and safety workshops, apprising them of government benefits available for them and their families, and financial literacy. 

 

As it is a transformation project, the first phase of thr project will facilitate the shoe shiner community of 150 people with customized, red waterproof boxes with separate compartments and equipment across Mumbai's railway stations. The shoe-shiners will be provided with all the tools and accessories they need to polish, repair and refurbish shoes. These kit boxes are designed keeping in mind the user's occupational health and safety.

Shoe Polish, a Modern Business

The global shoe business is well known for its dynamically changing fashion trends. People use multiple shoes for different occasions, and it constantly drives the demand for different kinds of shoe polish. The increasing demand for products such as moisturizers and conditioners for shining non-leather-based shoes is enhancing the growth of the global shoe polish market. The demand for liquid spray shoe polish for both leather-based and synthetic materials-based shoes is also driving the global shoe polish market. 

The e-commerce industry is driving the growth of the market as well. As the demand increased, it enhanced the market's growth during the forecast period 2017-2023. The market is segmented based on product type, sales channel, and region. On product type, the market is sub-segmented into shoe care, shoe clean, and shoe care accessories. Among all the product types, the shoe care segment is expected to account for the highest market share, followed by shoe clean over the forecast period. 

The shoe care segment is expected to grow with a CAGR of 4.3 percent during the forecast period in terms of value. Shoe care accessories are estimated to register a CAGR of 3.7 percent in the global shoe care market over the forecast period. The factors influencing the global shoe care market are the incessantly growing footwear market and increasing demand for advanced comfort across the globe due to growing innovation in shoes and rapidly changing consumer demand patterns.