The reinvention of leather - Livemint

New messiahs of the old fashion favourite add bling, finesse and functionality to it

Karishma Jhalani and Ashwin Jain of 1701.in. Photo: Priyanka Parashar/Mint

When she could not find anything save a cheap-looking nylon case to house her new Canon SLR camera, Karishma Jhalani^[1] , 27, decided to craft her own bag using bits of bright blue leather with gold trim that she found in her mother’s garment factory. Jhalani, a former assistant director on Bollywood movies, took the bag with her on a trip to Italy’s Amalfi Coast in early 2012 and was stopped a few times by people who wanted to know from where she had bought it. That’s when her travel mate, and now business partner, investment banker Ashwin Jain^[2] , hit upon the idea of starting a retail website for travel accessories and 1701.in^[3] was born.

“Indian buyers associate leather with luxury and durability and if they get good design and a varied product range, they do not mind splurging just a little,” says 29-year-old Ashwin. The almost year-old brand now sells camera cases (starting from Rs.13,500), currency and passport folios, laptop sleeves and clutches, (starting from Rs.4,000) all made from imported Italian cow leather, on sites like Perniaspopup.com^[4] .

Nappa Dori measuring tape

“Leather has always had the history to be the material used to craft products in which one can carry things while you travel. It’s a versatile material that looks nice too. We wanted to use leather when we set up our retail business though we are experimenting a little with canvas too now,” says Noida-based Ashwin.

Experimenting and using different materials is something that Gautam Sinha^[5] has also done for his new yet-to-be launched line of messenger bags, folders, laptop sleeves. “I have used Ikat print fabrics for this collection,” says 34-year-old Sinha, who launched his brand Nappa Dori (Nappadori.com^[6] ) in 2010.

Among the first few brands to move away from yet another “women’s handbags in leather” collections, Sinha, a graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, started out with a collection of colourful trunks with leather trims as well as a very well-received line of printed leather laptop sleeves and messenger bags. Though trained in fashion design, Sinha started working with leather soon after his graduation when he was hired to assist on a leather export-related project.

Gautam Sinha with his Ikat collection. Photo: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

“Between 2001-2007, when I worked for other exporters, there were hardly any people who wanted to introduce exciting leather products in the Indian market. Now it is different because people here are interested in spending money on leather products with a sound design aesthetic,” he says. Sinha has earlier worked on designs from Scandinavian countries and says that is why he identifies with minimalism. “I do not embellish leather or work with coloured leather which looks plasticky as opposed to the natural shades of tan and black,” says Sinha. His workshop and studio are located in Sultanpur, near Gurgaon, and stores are at Meher Chand Market and Hauz Khas Village in Delhi.

At Nappa Dori, Sinha finds that the iPad cases, trunks and laptop bags (starting from Rs.3,000) have many buyers as does the small quirky measuring tape (Rs.500) in leather and the all-leather toolkit. “I use different kinds of leather from harness and nappa leather and prefer the well-worn out look, naked finish.”

While the duo behind Jaipur-based Dhora (Dhoraindia.in^[7] ), Aavriti R. Jain^[8] and Siddharth Daspan^[9] , both 23, also prefer to work with non-coloured leather, they do embellish their products with wooden handles and some stonework. “Aavriti’s family is into jewellery and we have experimented with bejewelled handles for our leather bags,” says Daspan, explaining that all their products are handcrafted in his native village Daspan near Jodhpur.

A leather bucket from Dhora

The partners, who took a fashion promotion course together in Milan, Italy, had worked on a project to sell handcrafted leather goods and when they set up their label Dhora, they decided to include leather products along with jewellery and apparel. “We don’t like working with soft leather and prefer that our bags and totes have a definitive shape,” says Daspan, adding that they work with cow, camel and goat leather. Apart from bags (from Rs.1,300-7,000), they have designed small leather buckets which can be used as dustbins or with plastic lining used to hang potted plants; juxtaposed canvas with leather straps to create their best-selling Canvas Thela; and leather wrapped stainless steel hip flasks and tool kits for motorcycles. They are now working on customized picnic kits in leather and are stocking at a few stores in Delhi and Mumbai.

Jhalani and Ashwin, on the other hand, like to embellish their products with embroidery, appliquè work, etc. “We have found that while our European clientele prefers single-tone, even-finished products, Indians like colourful items. Also our embroideries in the Jaipur Line, Chantilly lace in the Décolleté range or the use of appliquè to trace out an elephant trunk in the Tembo collection, work for everyone,” says Jhalani.

The Viari bags come in coloured leather and in canvas

Chennai-based brand Viari, which has been exporting leather garments and accessories since the late 1980s, recently branched into retail with their flagship store opening in Chennai in April, the online retail store (Viari.in^[10] ) going live in June and their second store opening in Thane, Mumbai, earlier this week.

“We decided to get British designer Silas Grant^[11] to design our lines because being a product designer for sunglasses, phones, watches, he understands gadgets and how people interact with them. We wanted that our bags should not only look good but also be functional especially for the younger generation who go everywhere with their gadgets,” says Abhyuday Purkayastha^[12] , the 22-year-old son of the founder Arijeet, on whose recommendation the retail arm was finally set up.

Viari currently has five collections (from Rs.500-15,000), largely targeting women and Purkayastha says one of their “assets” is that they have bags, laptop sleeves, coin pouches, passport cover, eyeglass cases in genuine cow and buff leather in never-seen-before colours like baby blue and neon pink.

“Silas has kept the designs simple, with no bling. Sixty per cent of our buyers are currently women but we do notice that many women want to buy stuff for men too. Men shop online a lot during working hours. Our messenger bags and crossbody bags from the Outback collection (which uses leather with canvas) do well,” he adds.

Next time you are buying a gift that is functional as well as trendy, leather may be the way to go.

References

1. ^{^} Karishma Jhalani (www.livemint.com)


2. ^{^} Ashwin Jain (www.livemint.com)


3. ^{^} 1701.in (www.1701.in)


4. ^{^} Perniaspopup.com (perniaspopup.com)


5. ^{^} Gautam Sinha (www.livemint.com)


6. ^{^} Nappadori.com (nappadori.com)


7. ^{^} Dhoraindia.in (dhoraindia.in)


8. ^{^} Aavriti R. Jain (www.livemint.com)


9. ^{^} Siddharth Daspan (www.livemint.com)


10. ^{^} Viari.in (viari.in)


11. ^{^} Silas Grant (www.livemint.com)


12. ^{^} Abhyuday Purkayastha (www.livemint.com)