Rina Shah, India’s First Woman Polo Player, Footwear Designer & DJ

Interview with Rina Shah, India’s First Woman Polo Player, Footwear Designer & DJ

Rina Shah is a India’s First Woman Polo Player, Footwear Designer & DJ. Rina owns a Polo team by the name of RINALDI POLO which boasts of veteran players like Chirag Parekh, Samir Suhag, HH Maharaja Padmanabh Singh, Gaurav Seghal among others.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got into the sport of polo?

Rina Shah: I have been a shoe designer with my brand RINALDI designs for 17 years and polo came to my life unexpectedly in 2010 when I went to watch a game with a friend.

Fell in love with the sport and the majestic horses and decided to learn riding. Soon after went to the USA, Argentina and UK to learn polo.

How did you manage to break into a male-dominated sport such as polo, and what challenges did you face?

Rina Shah: When I joined in I did not think of women or men I was passionate and wanted to play the sport without thinking of how make dominated it was but I did not care and took it on without people helping me as I knew it was not only a male dominated but I had to do it alone as there was no proper Polo school in India.

No one supported me as I was a woman who was 38 and they thought I would fail. But I was not gonna quit and took the challenge and had to keep the woman’s name up for all the young girls behind me.

Please tell us a little about your entrepreneurial journey

Rina Shah: I always wanted to be a business woman and after graduating from fit New York I was very sure I wanted to be a shoe designer and grow my business.

In a few years I had shops and offices in India and the USA. Exported shoes all over the world and grew my business. Being a Gujarati the business gene is always in me.

As the first woman polo player in India, what kind of impact do you hope to have on the sport, especially for women who are interested in pursuing it?

Rina Shah: I wanted to make women know that if I can do it they can surely do it and inspire women by playing Polo all over India. Sponsored women polo matches and today there are more women in Polo .

How did you transition from being a polo player to a footwear designer?

Rina Shah: It’s the other way round. Polo came much later in my life and I did not plan it but when it came I was still busy with shoe business so sport and design was a dream come true.

How do you draw inspiration for your designs, both in terms of polo and footwear?

Rina Shah: Creativity has always been my thing, design is almost in my blood. I am inspired by anything unexpected and could be nature or animals or an exotic place etc.

What do you think sets your footwear designs apart from others in the industry?

Rina Shah: I went with my heart and always believed in making history. I thought outside the box and created what I thought was my expression, always thinking a step ahead of the trend .

As a successful woman in both sports and fashion, what advice would you give to young women who aspire to follow in your footsteps?

Rina Shah: I just want to say that be passionate in what you do, work hard and follow your heart.

What are your future plans and goals for both your polo career and footwear design business?

Rina Shah: I want to inspire kids in Polo this year by starting another team called RINALDI under 30 and help kids to play more Polo and create a platform for them so they get more seen and inspired.

How do you balance your time between polo and your footwear design business, and what does a typical day look like for you?

Rina Shah: I am DJ now and healing my olo injury from a year ago as I need to get healed and just got the horse back this week. I will be playing in September.

What is your success tips for young and aspiring entrepreneurs

Rina Shah: Again follow your heart, follow your passion you have to love what you do and think outside the box and make a difference and help others on your way to success.

Read more Success stories of Indian entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs & startups stories at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn