India-based Brune & Bareskin makes premium handmade leather accessories like bags, wallets, belts, mobile covers, eyewear glasses holders, and a lot more. After serving thousands of customers online and the huge success of its flagship stores in Jalandhar, Punjab, the company recently opened its second store in Delhi. Brune & Bareskin has been a designer for Indian cricket team back-to-back for the ICC ODI World Cup 2019 (England and Wales), T-20 World Cup 2021 (UAE) and T-20 World Cup 2022 (Australia) supplying backpacks, shoes and belts. The company also provides genuine leather backpacks to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their yellow team jersey colour. In a chat with Fibre2Fashion, Brune & Bareskin Director Tabby Bhatia talks about consumer trends, best performing categories and more.
What is the size of the leather industry in India? At what rate is it growing?
Currently, the size of the Indian leather industry is about $13 billion, and it is expected to grow to $25 billion in the next 10 years.
What types of hides do you specialise in?
We specialise in importing crust leather. We use cow and buffalo hide, lamb hide, ostrich hide, and stingray hide. Ostrich and stingray are the two hides that no other brand in India is using at present. All leather hide that we use is imported from the Middle East and South Africa.
What is the USP of Brune & Bareskin?
Our USP is using patina technique and bespoke service across all categories. Under this technique, we paint the finished product using paints, gilding (metal leafing), mild acids, and lacquering methods. Other brands majorly use patina technique in footwear category only. Brune & Bareskin is the only brand in India that delivers the products with patina art in all the categories.
Which are your major markets in India and abroad?
Every person who is fashion savvy and admires class and great quality is our potential customer. Earlier, our brand was limited to tier 1 cities, but now with the advent and craze of internet and social media, our market has expanded to tier 2 cities as well.
Which are your best performing product categories?
Our best performing product category is footwear, followed by leather accessories and travel bags, in that order.
Do you have your own production house or do you get it outsourced?
We make all products at our own production house.
These days, vegan and plant-based leather are gaining prominence. So, where does traditional leather stand?
Vegan leather till date has not surpassed the quality and longevity of traditional leather. Currently, the alternative solutions of vegan leather in the market are mostly petroleum based, and they do not have the long-lasting tendency comparable to the traditional leather. A leather product once produced can last for generations. And since the vegan leather is petroleum based, it cannot be recycled as well. So, at present, we don’t see it as a threat.
What are some of the consumer trends when it comes to leather in footwear, apparel and accessories?
In footwear, the new trend is Cubin boots. In accessories, leather travel bags and personalised products are the new consumer trends.
What are the future plans for Brune & Bareskin?
Our future plan is to expand the brand in southern and western parts of India through offline stores. We are also planning to go global through online platforms.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 09/03/2023
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
