Adnan Yeolawala: The 22-Year-Old Founder Building NAAW, One Step at a Time

Founder · NAAW · India

Adnan Yeolawala is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of NAAW, a handmade sneaker brand built around creativity, individuality and an Indian identity.

At 22, Adnan decided to turn his interest in sneakers and design into something of his own. But NAAW was not an overnight idea. Behind the brand are nearly three years of thinking, experimenting, learning and building before the company officially began its journey on 7 April 2026.

Before NAAW

Adnan studied at St. Xavier High School. Growing up, he was drawn to fashion, sneakers and creativity — but not to following what everyone else was doing.

I never wanted to simply follow what everyone else was doing. I wanted to create something of my own.

That instinct is the whole origin of the brand. Every brand starts with an idea; for NAAW the idea was a question — why can’t a sneaker be more than just a sneaker?

From a passion to a purpose

For Adnan, sneakers were never just footwear. He had always been drawn to their design, their personality, and the way a pair of shoes becomes part of someone’s identity. Over time, that interest turned into a bigger question:

Why not build a sneaker brand of my own?

That question became the starting point of NAAW. Instead of simply creating another sneaker label, Adnan wanted to build something that felt different — a brand with a real connection to India, while still carrying a modern, premium and global identity.

The idea was not perfect from day one. There was no big factory, no large team and no finished plan — just an idea, a lot of curiosity, and a willingness to figure things out along the way.

The first sample

The first sample was one of the most important moments in the entire journey. It was also not very good.

Things needed changing. Details did not look the way he had imagined them. There were a lot of small mistakes. What mattered was what he did with them.

Instead of seeing those mistakes as failures, I started looking at them as lessons.

Every sample became better than the one before it. That is where the standard came from: if NAAW was going to exist at all, it would have to care about every single detail.

Why handmade

The longer the work went on, the more the human element mattered. Most products today are designed to be produced as fast as possible. Adnan wanted NAAW to go the other way.

NAAW sneakers are handmade. Cutting, stitching, assembling, finishing — there is a human hand behind each step, and every pair carries the effort of the people who made it.

The small imperfections are part of what makes every pair personal. And that’s something I don’t want to hide.

Finding the right karigars

One of the hardest parts was finding the people who could actually make it. Skilled karigars who understood the level of detailing and finishing NAAW wanted were not easy to find.

It took time, conversations, testing and a great deal of learning. But once there were people who believed in the idea, something changed:

NAAW started feeling less like an idea and more like a real brand.

The first order

Until the first order arrived, NAAW existed mostly in sketches, samples and conversations. Then someone decided to spend their own money on something Adnan had made.

It wasn’t just about the money. It was about trust. Someone was saying, “I believe this is worth buying.”

That moment made the whole thing real, and it is what kept the work going.

The hard part

The journey has not been smooth. Ideas had to be changed. Samples had to be remade. Things took longer than expected. And there were moments where the obvious question came up — whether to continue at all.

Building something from nothing teaches one lesson very quickly, and Adnan puts it plainly:

You don’t need everything figured out. You just need to keep moving.

Every mistake taught something. Every rejection taught something. Every new customer taught something. And every sneaker pushed the brand a little further.

Where the name comes from

The name had to be simple, memorable and different. NAAW was deliberately not built to sound like every other sneaker brand — it stands for a brand creating its own identity rather than copying someone else’s.

Today it means more than a name. It is a vision: sneakers people do not just wear, but connect with.

NAAW: more than a sneaker brand

NAAW represents Adnan’s vision of combining Indian culture with contemporary sneaker design. The brand explores Indian-inspired elements and craftsmanship while keeping the overall aesthetic modern and premium. The goal is not to simply put an Indian design on a sneaker, but to create a sneaker identity that feels naturally connected to India.

NAAW is not just a sneaker brand. NAAW is a thought.

The bigger idea

For Adnan, NAAW is not about making a shoe and putting a logo on it. It is about creating something that already has a story before it reaches your feet.

Someone designed it. Someone selected the materials. Someone cut it. Someone stitched it. Someone assembled it. Someone checked every detail. And finally, someone chose to wear it.

Every pair has hours of work behind it. Every pair has human hands behind it. And every pair becomes a small part of someone else’s story.

Adnan’s philosophy

Adnan believes that entrepreneurship is not only about having an idea. It is about having the courage to keep working on that idea when nobody else can see what you see. At 22, he chose to take that risk, and rather than waiting for the “perfect time”, he started building.

His philosophy is simple: start with an idea, learn from every mistake, keep improving, and eventually turn the idea into something people can believe in.

What’s next

The plan is simple and ambitious at once. Adnan wants NAAW to become a name people recognise when they think about handmade sneakers, individuality and storytelling — without growth costing the brand what made it worth building.

The craftsmanship stays. The attention to detail stays. The story stays. Because if we ever lose that, then NAAW becomes just another sneaker brand.

A young founder with a long-term vision

At 22, Adnan Yeolawala is at the beginning of his entrepreneurial journey, and the NAAW story is still being written. What started as a personal passion for sneakers became an idea; the idea became a three-year journey of preparation; and that journey eventually turned into a brand.

7 April 2026 marks the beginning, not the destination. The bigger goal is to build NAAW into a brand that can represent Indian creativity on a global stage — from an idea in his mind to a sneaker on someone’s feet.

Timeline

Quick answers

Who is Adnan Yeolawala?

Adnan Yeolawala is an Indian entrepreneur and the founder of NAAW, a handmade sneaker brand built around Indian textile crafts. He launched NAAW on 7 April 2026, at the age of 22, after nearly three years of developing it.

What is NAAW?

NAAW is an Indian sneaker brand whose collections are built around traditional Indian embroidery — Bengal’s Kantha running stitch, Zari thread work, Kasuti from Karnataka and Chikankari from Lucknow — set on a contemporary streetwear silhouette. It trades as Naaw Fashion Private Limited and sells directly at wearnaaw.com.

When did NAAW launch?

NAAW officially began on 7 April 2026. The brand had been in development for close to three years before that date.

Where did Adnan Yeolawala study?

Adnan studied at St. Xavier High School. He was drawn to fashion, sneakers and creativity while growing up, and started NAAW rather than follow what everyone else was doing.

Why did Adnan Yeolawala start NAAW?

Because of a question he could not put down: why can’t a sneaker be more than just a sneaker? He had always been interested in sneakers — their design, their personality, the way a pair becomes part of someone’s identity — and he wanted to build a brand with a real connection to India rather than another sneaker label.

How are NAAW sneakers made?

By hand. Cutting, stitching, assembling and finishing are all done by skilled karigars, and every pair carries the effort of the people who made it. Adnan treats the small imperfections as the point rather than a flaw — they are what makes each pair personal.

What happened in the three years before NAAW launched?

Everything except selling. Adnan worked through designs, materials, manufacturing and branding, remaking samples until each was better than the last. The first sample was full of small mistakes, which he treated as lessons rather than failures. He calls those three years the foundation of the company: “The launch is only the part people see. The real journey started much earlier.”

Where does the name NAAW come from?

It had to be simple, memorable and different. NAAW was deliberately not built to sound like every other sneaker brand — it stands for a brand creating its own identity rather than copying someone else’s.

What is Adnan Yeolawala known for?

Building NAAW at 22 — a handmade Indian sneaker brand rooted in traditional craft rather than in international trends — and for spending nearly three years on it before selling anything.

What is Adnan Yeolawala’s philosophy?

That entrepreneurship is not only about having an idea, but about having the courage to keep working on it when nobody else can see what you see. As he puts it: “You don’t need everything figured out. You just need to keep moving.”

Which Indian crafts does NAAW use?

Four. Kantha, the running-stitch embroidery of Bengal; Zari, the metallic thread work associated with Surat and Varanasi; Kasuti, the counted-thread embroidery of Karnataka; and Chikankari, the white-on-white shadow embroidery of Lucknow.

How much do NAAW sneakers cost?

Between ₹3,900 and ₹3,960, in UK sizes 6 to 10. Six styles are on sale and four more have been announced.

What is next for NAAW?

Adnan wants NAAW to become a name people recognise when they think about handmade sneakers, individuality and storytelling — while keeping the craftsmanship, the detailing and the story intact as the brand grows.

Adnan Yeolawala
Founder — NAAW

Born from an idea. Built over three years. Started on 7 April 2026.

Not mass-produced. Not just another sneaker. Handmade, with a story.

NAAW — every sneaker has a story.

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