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The Gucci or Samsonite wallet or handbag in malls or high street shops that catch your fancy might be sourced from Kolkata.
After a downturn in the 1990s the city’s leather industry is back in the reckoning. At least nine global majors, an industry source said,are now procuring small leather accessories from Kolkata.
According to Praveen Agarwal, Director, Blue & Blues Fashions Pvt Ltd, increasing production cost in China and shortage of skilled man-power are the key reasons for brands looking at India, particularly Kolkata.
“The quality of the leather available and its softness are the other issues,” he added.
Blue & Blues is an Italian brand conceived by Francesco Lanzaratto and Fulvio Rovaris – two Italians – one a designer, the other a fashion visionary.
Major brands
French luggage maker Delsey is the latest to have joined the bandwagon.
The company will procure small leather items - wallets and leather accessories - for India and global markets from Kolkata.
“The wallets will be sold not just in India but also globally. These products should be in the market by the end of September,” Anil Verma, COO, Delsey India, told Business Line .
Multinational luggage maker Samsonite, fashion brand Gucci, accessory and writing-major Pierre Cardin, watch and fashion designer brand Guy Laroche, apparel major La Martina, global leather goods major Le Tanneur and UK-based leather accessories-maker Radley are some of the big names that have started sourcing from Kolkata, an industry source said.
A Samsonite spokesperson confirmed that the company was procuring wallets from the region since 2005.
“While bags and shoes are from Kanpur and Chennai, wallets are sourced from Kolkata,” the spokesperson said.
In most cases, the brands send blue-prints made by their designers for the finished products.
Exports
According to Shankar Dawn, President, Indian Leather Products Association, a leather goods exporters’ body, India’s contribution to the international leather market stands at between five per cent and six per cent.
Of the country’s total exports more than half (58 per cent) is from Kolkata.
A bulk of leather exported from Kolkata consists of processed hide and low value products such as industrial gloves, cheap belts and wallets.
> ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in
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