Sisters Riddhima and Saloni Sayal have given leather a trendy makeover with quirky prints, knotting technique and thread embroidery. They explain the process of creating their bags to D Kaushik
From shocking pink to bright lemon with a hint of gold and silver, there were all sort of neons peeping from the wooden racks. Then there were the good old blacks and beiges arranged in between, as if to provide some sense of balance between subtle and bright. The shapes and sizes were as diverse as the colours. In short, there were bags of all kinds lined at a small store Risa, also a leather handbag label, at Mehar Chand Market. These bags are made from fine leather mostly manufactured at Aries Inc, a leather tannery that handles the large scale production for stores like Anthropology, Zara, Asos, Dorthy, Perkins, Armani and Pepe. And for some designs the leather is imported from Italy and China. The credit for giving leather bags here a quirky makeover goes to sister duo Riddhima and Saloni Sayal, who came up with the brand Risa to create leather handbags fit for modern women. “We thought it is high time that we have a handbag leather brand which caters to modern choices. We want to break the stereotypes that come with leather bags, so we came up with new designs and techniques to create something different under our label,” said Riddhima, who might not have a degree in design but surely knows what’s trendy and what’s not.
The duo have a manufacturing unit in Noida, where local karigars are trained to perfectly cut the leather, create patterns and stitch a bag. “Each bag requires a different process. First we select the colour and the kind of leather that we want to use. After the selection of the leather, which is the base material, we choose the pattern which is created through different techniques like hand tooling, embossing. For some bags, special panels are created through hand and the process is so intricate that it takes a person almost two days to complete one single panel. Next is the embroidery on bags. Some patterns are designed in-house and a few are chosen. Then we attach a lining and finally the parts of bags are stitched together to form a bag,” explained Riddhima.
The brand offers wide range of bags for both men and women like shoppers, totes, wallets, evening clutches and handbags manufactured with buff wash, cow and sheep leather. “We have also been experimenting with different shapes and sizes. When we think of leather bags, only limited designs come to mind, this is not the case with our collection,” said Riddhima.
Keeping in mind the popularity and craze for leather bags, the price range of the collection has been worked out in such a way that there is something for everyone to pick. “The highest range we have here is around Rs12,000-13,000. Those bags come under the luxury segment and are mostly prepared with imported leather. The embroidery and hand-work that goes into making a bag also add to the price. But we do have bags in the lower price range as well. It is the variety that has contributed to our brand’s popularity,” said Riddhima.
After the success of their first store, they might come up with more. “But we are taking a step at a time. So far we have got a good response from buyers of all age groups. We might expand our business in a few years,” she ended.