The Leather Project

Blossoming with Design led intervention

A Social innovation project

Initiated by

Dept of Lifestyle Accessory Design, NID, Gandhinagar,ILFDP scheme - NID Ahmedabad, & NID Desis LAB India

India's leather industry is deeply rooted in the nation's history, representing one of its oldest and most enduring trades. India’s association with leather production traces back to ancient times, evident in artifacts discovered from Indus Valley Civilizations. The availability of superior raw materials and the presence of knowledgeable craftspeople established the groundwork for a thriving leather industry. India’s ascent as the leather manufacturing capital of the world is rooted in a combination of factors, including historical legacy, geographical advantages, skilled craftsmanship, supportive government policies, and technological advancements.

India has a long history of great leatherwork skills, a pool of talented craftspeople and a drive to make new things. Renowned regions like Kanpur, Kolkata, Chennai, and Agra produce intricate leather goods, sustaining traditional methods and providing employment to over 4 million people, including many rural artisans and women.

India is the second-largest producer of footwear and leather garments globally, contributing about 13% to the world's leather production. The country exports leather products to over 100 nations, with the USA, Germany, UK, Italy, and France being major markets. In the financial year 2020-2021, leather exports amounted to approximately 302.56 billion INR, with footwear making up 49% of these exports, followed by leather goods at 23% and finished leather at 20%.

This makes them well-positioned to become a leader in the worldwide leather industry. This explains the significance behind the Government making this a priority sector and introducing various schemes for the sector’s development like IFLDP.

The introduction of the Central Government Scheme ‘Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme (IFLDP)', aims to help in the development of infrastructure for the leather and footwear sector, address environment concerns specific to the leather and footwear sector, facilitate additional investments, generate employment within sector and help in increase of production provides opportunities across multiple verticals of the leather sector to reach to their full potential and beyond.

PROJECT AIM:

This project aims to understand the functioning of the interconnected domains and the sustenance of the leather footwear industry for the growth of India’s footwear and leather sector.

Our design team of thirteen members embraced a systems thinking approach to navigate our way through the entire leather industry project. This holistic perspective allowed us to gain a deep understanding of the diverse stakeholders involved and their unique viewpoints. This comprehensive insight proved to be of great value for us to understand the complexities of the leather industry ecosystem.

The design opportunities for this project are shaped by understanding the data after mapping the system, analyzing research papers, gaining experience from the field visits, transdisciplinary peer discussions and observations.

Systems Brainstorming.mp4

Design led Opportunities

The design possibilities explored in this project showcase a broad range of opportunities that can be addressed through the lens of a designer. The specific areas of focus in this project encompass a wide range of interventions.

These include initiatives aimed at-

Enhancing animal welfare to improve the quality of leather, addressing challenges related to leather transportation that impact its quality, managing waste generated from discarded footwear, promoting a positive perception of leather, acknowledging the contribution of homeworkers to the workforce, establishing collaborative platforms to bridge traditional and modern industry needs, creating standardized sizing systems tailored to specific segments in India, raising consumer awareness about the authenticity of materials, facilitating effective communication channels for consumer awareness of government schemes, developing trend mapping tools, enhancing the value of material defects, working for the welfare of child laborers, and enhancing the health and well-being of artisans in the industry.

The interventions proposed in this project are evaluated on the basis of a number of parameters and the changes that they could bring in the system through mapping their impacts.

This project stems from a collaborative approach driven by a shared vision. It aims to offer design support envisioned towards fostering the expansion and development of India's leather industry. Through collective efforts and a unified vision, stakeholders have come together to advance the growth of this vital sector. The project embodies a collective commitment to make right use of design expertise for the enhancement and sustainability of India's leather industry, reflecting a synergy of ideas and aspirations aimed at driving positive change and progress within the sector.

This page is curated by : Students: Manupriya Varshney, Hemangini Mandaliya

Mentor by: Amresh Panigrahi

Dept of Lifestyle Accessory Design, National Institute of Design, Gandhinagar

course: Project III- Design for Social InnovationApproach: system thinkingProject by : Lifestyle Accessory Design Batch joining year2022

LAD

Lifestyle Accessory design

IFLDP

Indian Footwear and Leather Development Programme

NID DESIS LAB

NID Design for social innovation and sustainability

Gandhinagar

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