Famous for its shine, style and long life, 'Charsadwali saplay' — as the name suggests are sling back men's sandals made in the Charsadda district. Over the last several years, these have gained popularity among men from all walks of life, throughout the country and particularly among the Pakhtuns in the NWFP.

Dealers claim that these sandals are bought all over the country and are even being exported to United Arab Emirates.

Made of leather in a variety of colours and designs. The most reliable and trusted leather among the users of the locally made footwear are 'Highkurram' and 'Cutpiece', while the popular designs are 'Cut-shape', 'Gol-shape' and 'China-broad'. However, 'Highkurram' is most popular with makers and users of the Charsadda-made sandal due to durability and toughness.

High-Kurram and Cutpiece are available in black, brown and mustard, while Sabar, another type of leather is available in numerous colours including, black, brown, light blue, mustard, yellowish-brown and green.

There are a number of steps including preparation of the sole, cutting leather depending on the style and demand of the user, stitching, pasting soft material on the soles for comfort and polishing, before it becomes the final product.

Haji Tehmash Khan, a local dealer of the Charsadwali Saplay, has been running the business for the last 45 years.

According to him, until a few years ago the popularity of these shoes was confined to the residents of Charsadda and Peshawar districts. Today the sandals are in demand throughout the country and people also send them abroad as gifts to family and friends.

Traders from Lahore, Islamabad, Multan, Faisalabad and Karachi have been purchasing sandals from his shop for several years. The average life of these sandals range between five to seven years, depending on the quality of leather used. “The chappals need to be protected from water as it harms leather and reduces its life,” he explained.

Talking about the supply of leather for manufacture of shoes, he said most dealers bought Highkurram and Sabar leathers from local markets of Peshawar, Karachi and Mardan while Cutpiece was being imported from China. “Leather of all types is primed at local industries of the province except the shiny, thick surface which is made in China,” he explained.

He said the customers have numerous choices with regard to style, cost and quality while buying the footwear. “They may buy a pair of sandals off the shelf or may place an order according to their foot size and a style that they like,” he added.

“Though prices depend on the quality of leather and other items used in its manufacture, the rates generally range between Rs400 to 1,000 per pair. High-quality leather used to be available at low rates in the local market, but nowadays leather prices have gone up while the quality has gone down.

“Most of our customers demand sandals made of Highkurram which is about Rs170 per square feet in the local markets. Shoe stitching is also done on high payment due to inflation.

Other necessary items needed for the manufacture of Charsadwali Saplay like the sole, buckles, rings and threads have also shot up in prices.”

Another dealer, Inayatullah said that nowadays people across the country are also buying  Charsadda-made footwear and it has become the business and a livelihood of many residents and dealers of Charsadda.”

These sandals are in  fairly good demand  throughout the year but shoots up for the Eid season.

Rashid Ali, a customer buying Charsadwali Saplay at a local shop, said he liked the footwear due to several reasons. “The chappals are easily available at affordable rates, durable, shiny, fashionable, soft and comfortable. With polish, it regains shine even after long usage,” he added.

Sifatullah, another buyer believes that other footwear is not so cheap nor durable like the Charsadwali Saplay. “I bought mine three years ago and even today they shine like I bought them just now,” he added.

The business could attract users and customers throughout the country if the government would facilitate dealers and experts of shoe-making.

It will also help reduce unemployment in the district and other areas if people are provided short-term interest-free loans for establishing their own business.