Leather Wallet Handmade

Energy around vibrant designs is very inspiring: Rachana Nagranee

I am from NIFT and did a course in fashion designing there. I worked as a store designer for a few years and did my stint as an assistant designer. But I wanted to do something of my own. I quit my job and started Pitaraa a year and a half ago. I wanted an Indian, contemporary label and started with a single, handmade bag that I stitched myself. Today, we have 10-15 styles that cater to our customers.

Did you start on your own? The response has been great. It was surprising also. Two years ago, there wasn’t a big market for accessories and yet, I got a fantastic response that only kept growing.Today, people are more aware of their clothes, they think of their sets of style, unique accessories they want when they go out. And the answer to our products has also led to the consolidation of the concept of happy people. (The slogan is happiness Pitaraa artisanal). Every time people would see our products, they would go "wow, these are dynamic, happy things.

Why did you start with the bags? When I started, there were only boring things black or white or gray in stores. I wanted something colorful and dynamic, which fills this gap. And I knew I had to do something that was Indian, yet contemporary. India is all about colours. In fact, pitaraa means a potpourri of sorts. So when I got to it, I made the first piece a colourful bag — the kind that I wanted.

What kind of experiments do you do with fabric? When we started, we wanted to do everything. We’ve already started on travel and everyday corporate accessories with leather. We do business card holders and passport cases and other accessories. And this line is expanding.We will also launch a line of shoes over the next six months, to correspond with the accessories that we have. We want to create a look all - jewelry, shoes, clutches, etc.. Who knows, maybe we would one day clothes. Maybe in five or six years, we even have a line of furniture!