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About Hidesign

Dilip Kapur began Hidesign in 1978 as a hobby. With a PhD in international affairs, no design background, the brand and the products were an expression of his belief in natural, sustainable materials and clean simple designs.

With its handcrafted look and unorthodox designs, the bags were radically different from anything available in Europe and the USA at the time. Hidesign was quickly adopted by alternative fashion stores in London, San Francisco and Melbourne. Now widely accepted in over 25 countries as a leader in the development of sustainable and innovative leather fashion.

Core Values

Hidesign has stayed true to its strong heritage of craftsmanship, sustainability and innovative design; core values that have inspired every single product we create.

Craftsmanship

At our atelier, craftswomen work in groups to construct a bag, because we believe human hands have soul. With an average work experience of over 17 years at our atelier, we have some of the most skilled leather craftspeople in the world.
Nothing is too much trouble at our atelier- we still knot every stitch ending by hand, our leather cutters use a fine-pointed knife that takes over two years to master, our brass buckles are individually sand-casted and painstakingly polished by hand. In a world full of synthetic copies, Hidesign stands out for being a handcrafted luxury.

Innovation & Design

We take pride at being unconventional. Our first few bags were so different from the norm, they were a hit on Castro Street, California, then the gay capitol of the world. Our Little Boxy bag, unashamedly different from the pretty bags of the 90s, won the ‘Accessory of the Year’ in the UK. We have always found inspiration in adventure, travel and culture, rather than following trends. Originality and simplicity are at the core of our design philosophy.

Natural & Ecological

While most tanneries shifted to the faster, cheaper process of chrome tanning, Hidesign revived the slow, labour intensive method of vegetable tanning. Learning from centuries old craft, using natural seeds and barks native to South India, we create fashionable leathers that get better with age.

Our atelier is a lush campus dotted with ponds and streams - an everyday inspiration to our craftswomen of the life we admire. Solar powered energy to run our atelier, 100% recycling of water at our tanneries and even using our leather scrap to make paper bags for our stores, being sustainable is in our DNA.

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1978

A REBEL IS BORN

Hidesign begins with a two-person artisan workshop. The first markets are small alternative shops in Australia and the United States reflecting the brand’s rebellion against uniformity and mass production.

Hidesign Today

Anjali Lama, India's first transgender model from Nepal with Hidesign bag from Ashes collection.

Actor Ranveer Singh in Hidesign Sunglasses for MW.

Musician Dino Merlin with Hidesign travel bag Vegas.

Actor Jim Sarabh with Hidesign Sunglasses.

Blogger Juhi Godambe with Hidesign's work bag.

Nitibha Kaul with Hidesign's bag from Masaai Collection.

Actor Fawad Khan in Hidesign Leather jacket for Filmfare Magazine.

Leathers

Why Hidesign leathers are special

We are a leader in the use of vegetable tanning through the use of barks, seeds and natural oils for our leathers.

Hidesign uses only 100% full grain, top quality leathers, ensuring long lasting wearability. Our leathers are natural without any Polyurethane (PU) or synthetic coating.

We produce all our leathers in our own tanneries ensuring quality control & social responsibility.

Hidesign is an innovative designer with fashionable leather designs and colors.

Hidesign leathers are healthy for your skin as we avoid the use of chrome and other heavy chemicals.

The Hidesign leather tanning process is clean as 100% of the water used is recycled.

  • Hidesign Sarajevo

    From its artisan roots of a two man workshop to a company of 3000 spread all over the world, Hidesign has stayed true to its strong heritage of craftsmanship and innovative design. Hidesign stands out for the sensuous naturalness of its high quality leathers and the smooth soft glow of its solid brass fittings in the leather goods it handcrafts.

    From its artisan roots of a two man workshop to a company of 3000 spread all over the world, Hidesign has stayed true to its strong

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  • Hidesign started in 1978, as a hobby by Dilip Kapur on his return to India after his Ph.D in International Affairs in the United States. The first few bags were different compared to anything being manufactured in Europe and America at that time.

    From its artisan roots of a two man workshop to a company of 3000 spread all over the world, Hidesign has stayed true to its strong

  • On the Road

    Embark on a stylish journey with Hidesign's On The Road collection. Explore durable and versatile leather accessories for your adventures. Shop the best handcrafted leather travel bags online at Hidesign. Find the perfect combination of style and functionality to enhance your journey.

    Embark on a stylish journey with Hidesign's On The Road collection. Explore durable and versatile leather accessories for your adventures. Shop the best handcrafted leather travel bags online at Hidesign. Find the perfect combination of style and functionality to enhance your journey.

    Shop The Collection
  • On the Road

    Embark on a stylish journey with Hidesign's On The Road collection. Explore durable and versatile leather accessories for your adventures. Shop the best handcrafted leather travel bags online at Hidesign. Find the perfect combination of style and functionality to enhance your journey.

    Embark on a stylish journey with Hidesign's On The Road collection. Explore durable and versatile leather accessories for your adventures. Shop the best handcrafted leather travel bags online at Hidesign. Find the perfect combination of style and functionality to enhance your journey.

    Shop The Collection
  • Luxury Collection

    Crafted from responsibly sourced Ostrich leather, amongst the most sought after exotic leathers in the world - The Atelier collection is an investment in the best quality there is.

    Crafted from responsibly sourced Ostrich leather, amongst the most sought after exotic leathers in the world - The Atelier collection is an investment in the best quality there is.

    Shop The Collection
  • East India

    For 200 years, East India Leather has been the greatest leather in the world. Vegetable Tanning using the bark of the Wattle Tree and Myrobalan seeds ensures that this high art is as gentle on your skin as it is on the environment. Explore of East India collection.

    For 200 years, East India Leather has been the greatest leather in the world. Vegetable Tanning using the bark of the Wattle Tree and Myrobalan seeds ensures that this high art is as gentle on your skin as it is on the environment. Explore of East India collection.

    Shop The Collection
  • Malasana

    Inspired by the hip alternative community of Malasana in the heart of Madrid, our Malasana collection explores our crazy love for colour. Handcrafted delicately using fine Spanish vegetable tanned leather, the collection features intricate braided and woven details that are core to Hidesign’s values of craftsmanship.

    Inspired by the hip alternative community of Malasana in the heart of Madrid, our Malasana collection explores our crazy love for colour. Handcrafted delicately using fine Spanish vegetable tanned leather, the collection features intricate braided and woven details that are core to Hidesign’s values of craftsmanship.

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  • Flower Child

    Our new Flower Child collection is inspired by the flower child of the 1960s and 70s. The collection takes inspiration from their rebellious energy and their ability to create a new counterculture. Their lifestyle offers an alternative to the mainstream- An individual’s urge to rebel, freedom to love, search for utopia and constant experimentation.

    Our new Flower Child collection is inspired by the flower child of the 1960s and 70s. The collection takes inspiration from their rebellious energy and their ability to create a new counterculture.

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  • King Cobra

    Save The King collection by Hidesign has been crafted and designed jointly by the president of King Cobra Conservancy, Naia Hannah Haast, and Dilip Kapur. Continuing our focus on Craft and art, Hidesign learnt the art of hand carving (tooling) from Naia Hanna Haast, an artist very much part of the American independent artist community.

    Save The King collection by Hidesign has been crafted and designed jointly by the president of King Cobra Conservancy, Naia Hannah Haast, and Dilip Kapur. Continuing our focus on Craft and art, Hidesign learnt the art of hand carving (tooling) from Naia Hanna Haast, an artist very much part of the American independent artist community.

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  • Freedom

    Freedom collection is all about design, functionality and utility. Inspired by the needs of a modern individual, the collection comprises of bags that are modular, versatile and multi-purpose; giving you multiple bags in 1 for the different moods of your day.

    Freedom collection is all about design, functionality and utility. Inspired by the needs of a modern individual, the collection comprises of bags that are modular, versatile and multi-purpose; giving you multiple bags in 1 for the different moods of your day.

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  • Wild West

    The bags from our Wild West brings a weather-beaten, rugged charm to your style. The gold rivettes, unique brass buckles designed specially for this collection, weaving, patch work, quilted textures inspired from the boots and jackets of cowboys, to the very core of distressed leather.

    The bags from our Wild West brings a weather-beaten, rugged charm to your style.

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  • Maasai

    The Maasai collection exemplifies Hidesign’s commitment to innovative design and detailed craftsmanship, as displayed by the hand stitching of fine beads on leather and sand casted brass accessories. The bags are available in tan, brown and the signature red of the Maasai.

    The Maasai collection exemplifies our commitment to innovative design and detailed craftsmanship through the hand stitching on leather and sand casted brass accessories.

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  • Icons

    Icon collection is a celebration of Hidesign’s long heritage and craftsmanship. This collection re-launched the earliest bags, maintaining the same purity reflected in the original bags: vegetable tanned leathers, solid brass, cotton and leather linings, and designs that have stood the test of time. The adventure and romance of travel is a great inspiration for Hidesign, and the same spirit is captured in the icon bags.

    The adventure and romance of travel is a great inspiration for Hidesign, and the same spirit is captured in the icon bags.

    Shop the Collection
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