National Design Studio to rebrand Tamil Nadu’s leather sector

As part of the Make in India initiative, CLE, an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry) will be organising the second edition of the International Designers Fair 2017, in Chennai between Feb 1-3. And with an aim to rebrand the strengths of the local leather industry, beyond cheap labour and manufacturing, a proposal has been made to the Centre to set up a National Design Studio in Chennai. This proposal which has been mooted by the CLE is expected to bear fruit in a span of three years. A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be set up for the purpose of bringing about this design centre that will cater to both the leather footwear and products industry and the textile sector as well. 

The leather industry has been recognised as a focus sector by the Centre. Giving us a background on the strengths of Tami Nadu in the leather export segment, PR Aqeel Ahmed, Vice Chairman, CLE tells us, “Around 40 per cent of the total leather exports from India originate from Tamil Nadu. And the city has been home to the India International Leather Fair (IILF), considered among the best in Asia, in 2016 and now in 2017 as well (to be conducted this week). The Centre has allocated about Rs 60 lakh for the ILLF this year, courtesy the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).” Industry experts shared that the Centre plans on setting aside an amount of Rs 1 crore for the fair next year. 

As many as 30 overseas designers and eight Indian designers and institutions will be taking part in the Designer’s Fair this year, building bridges through transfer of knowledge and skillsets. American entrepreneur Elissa Bloom, Executive Director, The Philadelphia Fashion Incubator, who is attending the fair, has high hopes from the Designer’s Fair. Following a site visit of a leather products factory in Vellore, she said she was impressed with the quality of products that she got to see and she hopes the fair will be a great arena for networking and building business leads.

Tamil Nadu has a lot going for it in this industry, as per veterans of the business. According to Dr T Ramasami, Retd Secretary to Department of Science and Technology, the national leather exports industry has grown massively from a Rs 400 crore industry in 1984 to a Rs 42,000 cr plus industry annually in 2016. He goes on to tell us, “The total turnover of the leather industry can be estimated at about Rs 75,000 crore and it employs as many as 32 lakh people in various segments. In Tamil Nadu, the leather industry has also been known as an agent of social change – close to 98 per cent of jobs in the footwear industry is undertaken by women, and offers many households an opportunity to earn a decent income.”

Tamil Nadu has also made great strides as a front runner in the ecologically sustainable model of doing business, as Dr Ramasamy adds, “TN has already been following the zero liquid discharge model of sustainable business since 2006, while the rest of India is yet to catch up with the same. Even the US is on its way into making an act to enforce the same.”