This Indian Leather Brand has Withered the Test of Time by not Throwing in the Towel to Changing Trends Founder Gautam Sinha feels the Indian consumer is a very mature consumer and people don't give them as much credit as due.
By Aashika Jain •
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The retail industry in India is brimming with brands that are experimenting with the unexplored.
The Indian millennial is ready to pay a hefty sum to look chic. The cool quotient is rubbing off on India's older generation too with many adopting new styles of dressing and eye-catchy accessories.
One such brand that has hit the Indian market with its unique designs is Nappa Dori.
Born in 2010 in a quaint village nestled in the heart of Delhi, Nappa Dori is the brainchild of a NIFT graduate in Fashion Design who had an epiphany that compelled him to discard conventional fashion design and explore the world of Indian leather and artisanal craftsmanship. It offers a mix of design and handcrafted Indian leather accessories and luggage.
In an interview with Entrepreneur India, the founder of Nappa Dori, Gautam Singa spoke at length about fierce competition in leather goods 8 years on, how being a home-grown brand has its own set of challenges and advantages and the brand's future trajectory.
"We have to in a way stay true to what we do, and the craft that we are trying to promote. What has really worked for us we are not trend-based. What we see in upcoming brands is that they are trend-based, that's where they go slightly wrong, because if you have a product that can stand the test of time, it isn't worth nurturing," Sinha said.
He thinks everyone needs to do a little bit of experimentation in whatever product line they are in to appease their customers. "At the end of the day your DNA has to be true to whatever you do, the pieces of Nappa Dori are not seasonal that is really strong in the type of designs that are coming out from Nappa Dori, I think that is something more sustainable in the long run," Sinha explained.
Is Indian Consumer Ready to Splurge?
Sinha feels the Indian consumer is a very mature consumer and people don't give them as much credit as due.
"I feel people need to rethink the whole graph now and in terms of our clients when we started with, mainly our clientele was eighty five percent expats and fifteen percent Indian. Over the last year, it has changed and now we are almost fifty-fifty, which is a big shift and that shows how the Indian consumer has taken the brand," Sinha said.
Taking Brand Global
Sinha sees the sky with Nappa Dori.
He says he wants to do make Nappa Dori a large conglomerate and spread it globally making it a global brand and also wants to stick to Indian routes and do what he is doing best.
Sinha thinks the brand needs to grow and it will organically do its own things. He has never really planned in terms of how Nappa Dori will move forward.
"Certain things have happened – we also have a café now, which was not a plan in the beginning and it is always good to experience the journey yourself," Sinha said.
