It isn’t a bad thing at all to be a stickler for style. At least, not if it leads you to create a brand of your own and have people queuing up on your DM list with order requests. Simran Sahni’s 12x12 studio Urban Essentials at Banjara hills is an example of ‘doing what drives you,’ he clarifies.
It all started with his eagerness to wear a pair of handmade leather shoes, custom made according to his style and design sensibilities. When enquiries at various stores failed to yield results, he turned to the Internet. “I stumbled upon a man in Gujarat who seemed to understand exactly what I wanted and delivered my shoe even before I’d made the payment,” he recalls, as he works on a piece of vegetable tan leather, drawing curves for a cut out.
Soft music from his iPad fills the silence in the room. Light from a table lamp focuses on a spot on the table, his only work area.
The table is messy with tools and instruments used to cut leather in different shapes and sizes. His walls are studded with photo collages of handmade products he has created.
Apart from photographs, the cosy little studio has a few other things on display — travel totes, backpacks, business cases, wallets and belts.
How it all started
The motorcycle memorabilia on display suggests he loves riding. Simran’s love for riding started parallely with the joy of designing leather accessories. “Until then I loved having them in my garage, ride them once in a while but I wasn’t a serious rider,” he says. His prized possessions include a Ducati Diavel, a Harley Davidson 48 and a Custom Bonneville T120.
A mechanical engineer by qualification, Simran worked as an engineer in their family-run business of manufacturing precision tools before he established his studio of handmade leather lifestyle accessories. “After my handmade shoes, I felt the urge to make a leather jacket styled by me. I managed to get one done. As I showed off my self-designed shoes and jacket, I got requests from friends and family to make things for them. Within two and a half years, I had designed over 200 pairs of shoes and started customising things so well that it gave me the confidence to experiment. Then, I researched all about leather and what working with it involves. After about a year, I launched Urban Essentials. Most of my learning was on the ground, with different master craftsmen and from dealers.”
Requests began trickling in from fellow riders as well once they saw the goods he’d designed. “It made me push my boundaries. That’s how I began customising seat covers for high-end bikes,” smiles Simran.
While he works on smaller things from his studio, his factory in Gujarat which was set up two years back manufactures bags, jackets and other knick-knacks. Simran’s work on leather usually involves fine detailing using emboss, colour, texture and even thickness of leather. One cannot help but wish to call him an artist, but Simran demurs. “In no way am I close to what artists do, their work is in a different league. I am a craftsman who wants to be good at his job. When I get feedback from customers like ‘how did you have the heart to sell this to me,’ I feel like I have been able to meet their expectations,” he says.
He is currently working to ace a design case for ear-pod holders. This, after he delivered an eight-foot leather wrapped wooden door for a designer. “This is how I relax. I keep thinking about what new to make. My handmade watch straps are pretty popular with those who love custom made leather straps,” says Simran.
Eye for detail
Simran’s Instagram page has an enviable leather collection — pencil pouches, leather seat covers, belts, jackets to even cases for car remotes, beautifully done and detailed with saddle stitch.
“Sometimes the feel and shade of the leather is all it takes to make it glamorous. In such cases I embellish them with stitches on the edges,” he adds.
Simran says the craft ‘felt’ easier to relate to, because of his experience in his dad’s precision tool companies; since he knew the tools to use for various purposes, he has an edge in this niche craft.
Simran has so far delivered custom-made goods to customers in UK, US, Africa and Germany. “All through Instagram. Social media has helped me connect with lovers of this craft,” he smiles.
