India's own leather story

Brand conscious

Business is something that never happens by chance. Any successful entrepreneur will agree on how meticulous planning and strategies, and sharp business acumen is essential for anyone interested in taking a plunge into the sea of unpredictability that is driven by luck. 

But would you believe if someone tells you “when I started off, I was least concerned about profit?” It is rare to find a person who started off as a rebel against mass-production, created a brand without caring about consumers and first tested international waters in 1978, before setting sights on the Indian market, in 2000.

The voyager of this incredible journey is Dilip Kapur, president, Hidesign who started off as a one-man army in 1978, and today has 82 exclusive stores across India.

This incremental journey did pose obstacles for Kapur, who with Rs 25,000 and a cobbler, converted his hobby into a potential-business. But initially he had to pay the price for not being a trained businessman, as he was “ripped-off” several times in the beginning of the voyage.

This didn’t deter Kapur whose blind love for natural products has been carefully replicated into handbags that are hand-crafted and vegetable-tanned to give them varied hues. 

“When I first started, I never thought we were a brand for career-oriented people. We were whimsical and weren’t high on practical purposes,” Kapur tells Metrolife, recollecting how his early creations like Boxy bags were a testimony to this statement.

It was the time when the brand was lead by creative inputs, and not by what the market desired. This free-spirited bonhomie had to bow down slowly to the market diktats, as it happens with every lifestyle brand that gains popularity among masses.

“When things like these happen, you tend to compromise. This is when one has to strike a balance between brand ideology and market pressure,” points out Kapur who lives in Auroville. “We have to stay true to what we are,” he adds.

A tough decision, any businessman, ever has to take when he has to choose between sales and brand aesthetics. Kapur chose latter over former, admitting, “brand is about who you are and can’t change with market’s expectations”. 

“A brand is much of a personality and that is a constant. We are constantly re-looking at who we are, without compromising our brand values,” Kapur says.

The brand celebrated its 35 years last year. And even though the brand has diversified into sunglasses and shows, its personality hasn’t changed, given the entry of international and national brands offering leather products, posing competition to this indigenous international brand.

Apart from these challenges, availability of Chinese faux leather bags, and low-priced leather bags and accessories also pose a threat in their sale figures. But Kapur is unfazed, as he clarifies, “We are not a product for a person who is looking for a trend.”

Indeed, this is a brave statement to make, given the fact that many people these days believe in spending on trends than investing in a brand.

“Our insights have changed, we have made our products more functional by giving a bag more pouches. These bags are far more practical now,” admits Kapur.

The next big step for the brand is their “luxury line” that is expected to be launched around Diwali this year. “These will be hand-painted bags, made of genuine ostrich and deer leather. You would feel like you are carrying a piece of art,” he concludes.