Chamar Studio to build cultural heritage archive of leather work

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Sep 27, 2021

Bengaluru-based handbag and accessories brand Chamar Studios will create an archive to chronicle the history of leather workers as the label continues its work to uplift traditional leather artisans across the country. 

Brand founder Sudheer Rajbhar has received a grant from the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada which he will use to build an archive on the history of Indian leather workers. The aim of the archive will be to, “restore the craft heritage for posterity,” Rajbhar told Elle India. 
 
The brand has also received a grant from The Guggenheim Museum in the U.S. The brand plans to continue to use grants and revenue from its handbags to fund its foundation, which works to educate leather workers pan-India about alternative materials they can use and on now to develop sustainable employment opportunities. 

“Sustainability needs to be holistic and should raise awareness about, and support the artisans, their culture and history,” Rajbhar told Elle India, about how the brand is also working to increase sustainable production. “Years of oppression have led the artisans to quantify their art and talent. They come from the mindset that producing more will yield better pay. I am educating them to prioritise quality and demand equitable remuneration.”
 
Sudheer Rajbhar launched Chamar Studio in 2017 with the aim of supporting and celebrating Dalit and Muslim leather workers. Following the ‘beef ban’ in 2015, Rajbhar worked on developing a substitute for cow-hide leather made from recycled rubber and began to design what would become the brand’s signature modern, bold, and functional handbags.