Textile Value Chain- May 2021

UNVEILING LEATHER
MAY 2021
V O L U M E 9 | I S S U E N O . 5 | R S 1 0 0 | P a g e s 6 5
I S S N N O : 2 2 7 8 - 8 9 7 2 | R N I N O : M A H E N G / 2 0 1 2 / 4 3 7 0 7
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R E J U V E N A T I N G
F O L K P A I N T I N G S
O N T E X T I L E
P R O D U C T S : A
R E V I E W
F U T U R E T R E N D S
O F V E G A N
L E A T H E R
E M E R G I N G
G L O B A L
T R E N D S I N
L E A T H E R
I N C O N V E R S A T I O N
W I T H D R . K . J .
S R E E R A M

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2 C O V E R S T O R Y

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C O V E R S T O R Y
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Better blending from
the beginning: BO-P
The new portal bale opener allows up to 50% more working width
and 25 to 40% better blending. At the same time, the portal con-
cept saves floor space: The BO-P can also be placed close to a
wall because the bale lay-down area is freely accessible.
w w w . t r u e t z s c h l e r . c o m
2.9m or 3.5m
working width – less
space requirement –
better blending

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CONTENTS
ADVERTISER INDEX
08 IN CONVERSATION WITH Dr. K. J. SREERAM
Director of CSIR-CLRI
INTERVIEW
M AY 2 0 2 1
FUTURE TRENDS OF VEGAN LEATHER by
Shivani Gaikwad
15
13 EMERGING GLOBAL TRENDS IN LEATHER by
Rupali Kshatriya
EXPLORING SEA LEATHERWEAR by
Kshipra Gadey
10
COVER STORY
STUDY OF LEATHER FABRIC by
Pradnya Avhad
19
17 LEATHER MADE OUT OF CACTUS by
Dr. N. N. Mahapatra
LEATHER ANTIQUITY by Saayali Gaikwad
23
21 BEING WHOLESOME by Pearl Bhansal
GLOBAL LEATHER MACHINERY EXPORT HIT HARD
BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC
25
24 LEATHER PROCESSING by Vaibhavi Kokane
26 ELEVATING YOUR CAREER IN
LEATHER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY by Nalanda
Gadey
CAREER GUIDANCE
28 FUTURE OF DESIGN EDUCATION
CHALLENGING BUT WORTHWHILE... by Sonali Brid
EDUCATION
31 REJUVENATING FOLK PAINTINGS ON TEXTILE
PRODUCTS: A REVIEW by Nikita Sachwani
PEER REVIEW PAPER
AN ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY
MUSHROOM LEATHER by V. Loga Subramani
37
REVIEW PAPER
EMPATHY – A LESS VALUED
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY by Rajiv Misra
29
HR FOCUS
Page 1: Raymond
Page 2: Rimtex
Page 3: Trutzschelar
Page 4: Malegaon Conference, Textile Value Chain
MONPA HANDMADE PAPER OF
ARUNACHAL PRADESH by Shipra Yadav
44
40 RECYCLING LEATHER by Ashwini Tarte and Dr.
Suman D. Mundkur
INDIA AND UNFORESEEN TEXTILE MACHINERY
EXPORTS IN THE FY 2021
51
46 COIR PRODUCTS EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES by
Dr. J. Anandha Kumar
MARKET REPORT
INDIA EDIFICING COTTON DEMAND AND
SUPPLY CHAIN
55
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FOR
BENEFITTING ENVIRONMENT,
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY by Manish Daga
53
COTTON UPDATE
59
57 HEMP by Aishwarya Patil
SUSTAINABLE FIBRE
62
60
YARN EXPORT MAINTAINS TEMPO IN APRIL,
COTTON TAKES LEAD by Textile Beacon
YARN UPDATE
A REPORT ON SDC EC INDIA WEBINAR
END TO END: PROCESSING AND
WASTE MANAGEMENT
EVENT UPDATE
FIBRE PRICES EASE IN MAY ENTERING LULL
DEMAND SEASON by Textile Beacon
DILO GROUP ENGINEERING FOR NONWOVENS
22 NEWS
CULP PRESENTS CHILLSENSE BEDDING
TICKING TEXTURES
36
LENZING CLAIM TO FAME FILAMENTS TO BE
PRODUCED USING MATERIAL WASTE
45

M AY 2 0 2 1
E D I T O R I A L
JIGNA SHAH
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
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LUXURY AND LEATHER
IS MANTRA OF
THE INDUSTRY!
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Ms. Jigna Shah
CREATIVE DESIGNER
Ms. Kshipra Gadey
EDITORIAL
7
Leather is processed from Animal skin process,
neither woven nor knitted nor compressed. It is
purely a skin! Leather does not get classified as
textile fibres. As leather does not come in con-
ventional textiles and process of making is com-
pletely different. Leather is an ancillary industry
from slaughter houses, meat industry. Leather
processing gives its unique look and feel which is
very widely sought by fashion community. Fash-
ion industry cannot survive without leather prod-
ucts, fashion accessories, shoes, bags many more.
Highly reputed brands prefer only leather. The
skin of each creature is a cost for human fashion
luxury statement. There is a great scope for di-
versifying products and finding new applications.
For the development of this sector, new product
/ process technology, chemicals, waste manage-
ment research and R&D has already been going
on at CSIR- Central Leather Research Institute.
The leather industry is an employment intensive
sector, providing jobs to about 2.5 million people,
mostly from the weaker sections of the society.
Women employment is predominant in leather
products sector with about 30% share. India is the
second largest producer of footwear and leather
garments in the world. This sector is known for
its consistency in high export earnings, and it is
among the top ten foreign exchange earners for
the country.
Vegan community is against the use of leather.
Few companies advertise their fabrics as eco-
friendly leather, which is made from natural ma-
terials such as leaves, mushrooms, bark, waxed
canvas, organic cotton, recycled rubber, coconut,
apple, many more. Sustainability is the mantra
that works for them. Industry contributors can
explore the sector and increase country’s export
earning!
We wish you luxury of life with a Virus Free
World! Stay Safe… Take Care…!

8
M AY 2 0 2 1
I N T E R V I E W
IN CONVERSATION WITH
DR. K. J. SREERAM
DIRECTOR OF CSIR-CLRI
Indian Leather industry share in glob-
al market
Leather garments form a significant
segment of the Leather Industry in
India. Leather garments production
capacity is estimated to be 16 million
pieces annually. India produces differ-
ent types of leather garments i.e., jack-
ets, long coats, waist coats/shirts, pant/
shorts, motorbike jackets, industrial
leather garments, leather aprons etc.
India is the second largest producer of
leather garments, next only to China,
which produces 70 million pieces of the
total global trade volume of about 120
million pieces.
It is a matter of great pride that Indian
leather garments have been making
giant strides in the world of fashion.
National Institute of Fashion Technol-
ogy and National Institute of Design
lends design support to make continu-
ous fashion statements. These Insti-
tutes provides well trained personnel
and imaginative designers. India’s
acknowledged strength is leather tan-
ning and its ability to produce a wide
variety of fashion leathers.
India’s position as the third largest
global supplier of leather garments
is only going to strengthen given the
availability of quality raw material
coupled with skilled craftsmanship.
Major brands like ARMANI, ZEGNA,
ABERCROMBIE & FITCH, MARCO
POLO, MANGO, COLEHAAN, AN-
DREW MAARC, GUESS source Leath-
er Garments from India.
“LEATHER WILL NEVER DIE UNTIL ANI-
MAL EXIST”
It is reiterated that leather is a by-
product of the meat Industry. If the
meat Industry survives and cattle is
reared for the purpose, there will be no
shortage of skins/ hides available for
the leather industry.
Leather is three dimensional in struc-
ture. Leather breathes. LEATHER
is made from hides and skins of ani-
mals like goat, sheep, cow, and buffalo
that are slaughtered primarily for the
MEAT Industry. Leather is a by-prod-
uct of the meat industry. Putrefiable
raw hides and skins are processed to
make them non-putrefiable. This pro-
cess is called Tanning.
Leather contribution in fashion indus-
try.
The Leather Industry holds a promi-
nent place in the Indian economy. This
sector is known for its consistency in
high export earnings, and it is among
the top ten foreign exchange earners
for the country.
With an annual turnover of over US$
12 billion, the export of leather and
leather products increased manifold
over the past decades and touched US$
6.5 billion during 2014-15, recording
a cumulative annual growth rate of
about 13.10% (5 years).
The Leather industry is bestowed with

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M AY 2 0 2 1
I N T E R V I E W
an affluence of raw materials as In-
dia is endowed with 21% of world cat-
tle & buffalo and 11% of world goat &
sheep population. Added to this are the
strengths of skilled manpower, inno-
vative technology, increasing industry
compliance to international environ-
mental standards, and the dedicated
support of the allied industries.
The leather industry is an employment
intensive sector, providing job to about
2.5 million people, mostly from the
weaker sections of the society. Women
employment is predominant in leather
products sector with about 30% share.
India is the second largest producer of
footwear and leather garments in the
world.
Brief about CSIR -CLRI activities
The CSIR-Central Leather Research
Institute: It is World's largest Leather
Research Institute was founded on 24
April 1948. The CLRI had made an ini-
tiative with foresight to link technol-
ogy system with both academy and in-
dustry. CSIR-CLRI, today, is a central
hub in Indian leather sector with direct
roles in education, research, training,
testing, designing, forecasting, plan-
ning, social empowerment and leading
in science and technology relating to
leather and allied products. Moreover,
it has secured a top place on the map of
scientific development as far as leath-
er-research-industry is concerned.
State-of-art facilities in CSIR-CLRI
support, innovation in leather pro-
cessing, creative designing of leather
products viz. leather garment, leather
goods, footwear, and development of
novel environmental technologies for
leather sector.
It is one matter to design and develop
technologies but entirely another to
promote such viable technologies in a
traditional sector like leather. CSIR-
CLRI in 1948, made an initiative with
foresight to link technology system
with both academy and industry. It as-
sumed the role of being a part of the
University of Madras in imparting ed-
ucation in leather technology. The seed
sown in 1948 has now grown into a tree
with nearly 60% of the leather industry
in India being manned and managed
by the Alumni of CSIR-CLRI.
CSIR-CLRI is a global leader in leather
research. The technological services of
the institute are as durable as leather.
Leather and allied research form core
areas of its activities. There is criti-
cal strength for research and develop-
ment in some focus areas of science and
technology. Research in CSIR-CLRI in-
cludes non-leather as well.
Share Leather research activity in
terms of process technologies, chem-
icals, product technology, waste
management, healthcare product
technologies
We are one of the leading leather re-
search organization with leather pro-
cessing technologies like Waterless
Chrome Tanning Technology (WCTT),
Preservation-Cum-Unhairing (PCU)
Process, Odor Abatement System for
Tanneries, Eco Based Zero Wastewater
Discharge Process, Dry Tanning (Dis-
persing Agent), Rapid Fiber Opening
by Cocktail of Enzymes and Chicken
Feet Leather and Leather Products.
We also work with leather chemicals
like Retanning Cum Lubricant Agent-
Relub-17r, Retanning Agent Protan
Khr, Protein Based Retanning Agent
Crostan Ea, etc.
Our waste management consists of
Immobilized Oxidation Reactors (Ior)
For Wastewater treatment, Sole from
Fleshing's Waste, Sequential Toxic-
Anoxic Bio Reactor (Soabr) Technology
For Reduction Of Primary Chemical
Sludge In Wastewater treatment, Se-
cure Landfill (Slf), Preparation of Com-
post from Animal Hair Waste (Process
Based Technology) and Co-Digestion of
Tannery Solid Waste For Biogas Gen-
eration.
Our healthcare products include High
Value Products from Trimming Waste
(Hvp-T), Collagen Sheet (Wound Care)
and Amiprojil-Paste/Powder for burns
and wounds.

10
M AY 2 0 2 1
EXPLORING SEA LEATHERWEAR
Textile Value Chain
KSHIPRA GADEY
Introduction
Efficiency of the human brain has al-
ways successfully found a way out to
fulfill the needs through every possi-
ble aspect. When humans thought that
they needed to cover their bodies, they
invented clothing. This clothing was
initially the skin of dead animals. Mod-
ern day man has evolved and developed
immense technological advances. The
similarity between the modern-day
man and ancient is that both passion-
ately wore the dead animals; then for
need and now for a fashion statement.
Humans have tried all the animal
hides including mammals, reptiles,
birds and even the human skin. How
would aquatic animals stay safe in this
race of beautiful hides for fashion? Hu-
mans have successfully created leather
from every possible animal including
aquatic animals like fish.
Fish skin is an uncommon sort of
leather. Lately, objects produced using
stingray leather have been in fame, be-
cause of the glass globule like surface
construction of the skin. Likewise, the
expansion of fish ranches, for different
species, has expanded the accessibility
of fish skin, as skins would in some way
or another be squandered.
Fish leather is more grounded than
other skin types, if similar thickness-
es are looked at. The elasticity of fish
leather comes up to 90 Newtons (for
example salmon or roost). The assem-
bling guideline for fish skin creation
was created by the Nanai individuals
from Eastern Siberia, who generally
make fish leather articles of clothing.
The tanning requires about a month.
The skins considered for making fish
skin leather are Shark, salmon, carp,
stingray, cod, ocean wolf and sturgeon.
Fish skin for the most part has a flaky
construction, is slenderer than leather
and is viewed as versatile and tear
safe.
Procedure for making fish leather
First step in making fish leather is
gathering fish skins. For making this
leather on small scale, skin can also
be obtained from fish stalls. With the
help of fleshing blade, overabundance
tissue is scratched. Skin is then kept
for absorption in saline arrangements.
Scales are eliminated and with the
help of synthetic specialists, producers
discharge the scales. Skin is then de-
toxed. This fundamentally implies that
the skins get an intensive washing to
eliminate any oils or natural matter. It
is then delicately cleaned. It can then
be preserved or converted into hide.
The skin can be refrigerated for preser-
vation. Tanning procedure can be uti-
lized for this. Fish leather can likewise
be dried by pressing. It can further
be coated for strength and waterproof
property.
Fishes that can be utilized for leather
1. Stingray Leather: The first one and
the most widely used exotic leather
is a stingray. Stingray skin is a solid,
strong cowhide with a "rough" surface
of smooth pearls across its surface and
is both moderate and arrives in a wide
exhibit of tones and sizes. Stingray
skin, In view of the shifting levels of
size among grown-up stingrays utilized
for cowhide, stingray skin will be found
in additional huge extravagance appli-
cations like upholstery, vehicle insides,
and trims, while likewise being found
in more modest applications like wal-
lets, satchels, adornments and deco-
rates. Stingray skin is otherwise called
shagreen.
Today, the skins we purchase to make
wallets, watch ties, wrapped boxes and
little sacks, are for the most part from
cultivated stingrays in Asia, specifi-
cally, Thailand. The skin has a sinewy
tissue side comprised of collagen fila-
ments, similar as standard cowhide,
yet that is the place where the simili-
tudes end.
The surface is comprised of little cir-
cles, now and again called pearls. They
are bigger in the focal point of the skin
and more modest on the external edg-
es. Each little circle is comprised of a
hard substance called dentin, with a
considerably harder external covering
of veneer. The stingray utilizes this
tooth like external protective layer as
a guard framework against assault,
which is the reason the circles just
cover the space of the beam around the
essential organs. During handling, the
delicate substantial outside wings are
taken out (for food utilization), and the
Figure 1: Stingray Leather
C O V E R S T O R Y

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M AY 2 0 2 1
Figure 3: Carp Leather
upper layer of shagreen is shipped off
for tanning. This is the reason stingray
skin is not reliable with the state of a
live stingray.
Most stingray skins are chrome tanned
which permits the skin to stay solid
and adaptable for item make.
2. Atlantic Stingray Leather: The At-
lantic stingray is a type of stingray in
the family Dasyatidae, normal along
the Atlantic shoreline of North Ameri-
ca from Chesapeake Bay to Mexico, in-
cluding bitter and freshwater environ-
ments. It very well might be recognized
from different stingrays nearby by its
generally stretched nose. This species
is of minimal business significance.
The skin of the Atlantic stingray has a
totally unique surface contrasted with
the typical stingray leather. The skin
does not have a pearl structure. Leath-
er objects from Atlantic stingray cow-
hide are uncommon.
3. Carp Leather: Carp fishes are wide-
ly used across the world for obtaining
leather. These fishes are of various va-
rieties and come in different sizes. The
most widely used carp type is regular
carp for leather. This kind has a soft
Figure 2: Atlantic Stingray Leather
Figure 4: Catfish Leather
and scaly skin. They are used commer-
cially for making fashion products in a
variety of colors.
The barbe is a European freshwater
fish of the carp family. The skin of the
barbe has a commonplace scale struc-
ture and is immediately unmistakable
as fish leather. Leather objects pro-
duced using barbe skin are exception-
ally uncommon.
4. Catfish Leather: The catfish is the
biggest freshwater fish in Europe. They
lean towards huge lakes and streams
with sloppy water and are generally
found in Central and Eastern Europe
and Central Asia. The catfish has no
scales. The calfskin is smooth with an
unmistakable grain and drawing. A lot
of designs can be obtained naturally
obtained on catfish leather. The sizes
vary naturally according to the size
and type of the catfish slaughtered.
5. Cod Leather: Leather produced us-
ing the cod is an uncommon blend of
fine and coarse surfaces. The sizes of
cod leather are somewhat better than
those of the salmon, however the
surface is more differed – generally
smooth yet with clear coarse patches.
Cod is found along Iceland's coast.
Figure 5: Cod Leather
The length of cod leather stows away
is somewhere in the range of 40 and 50
cm and the shape are remarkable. Cod
leather covers up are triangular: most
extensive at the neck, 12-15 cm and
tightening back towards the tail. Nor-
mal size is 0.6 square feet. Cod leather
can be colored in quite a few different
tones.
Cod leather is accessible in two sorts
of finish: open scaling, which makes a
coarse completion, and shut scaling,
which conveys a fine completion. A full
scope of surface medicines is conceiv-
able with one or the other sort of finish.
6. Eel Skin: Eels are fish not snakes.
Since eels, like snakes, are legless.
About the lone thing eels share prac-
tically speaking with snakes is that
they are unfeeling and of comparative
shape. Their bodies are smooth and
disgusting to the touch and they live in
the sea and in some new water sources
universally. Marine (saltwater) eels
like the Moray Eel and the Conger Eel
arrive at imposing sizes. These species
are wild and are found in coral reefs.
Most different kinds of eels live in new
water in Europe and Eastern America.
Both European and American Eels
leave their new water homes at produc-
ing time in the harvest time when they
are prepared to lay their eggs. Youth-
ful eels show up at some point in the
spring.
Figure 6: Eel Skin
Eel skins are a biresult of the fishing
business (sushi) and they have a tex-
ture like quality and are sold in sheets
generally alluded to as boards. More
than 70 little skins entirely sewn to-
gether will make a genuine 1st grade
eel board. Eel has as of late become
exceptionally mainstream in European
high design, which has led to a consist-
ent expansion sought after abroad and,
less significantly, locally.
As the material is delicate and stretch-
able, this adaptability makes it ideal for
applications like furniture upholstery,
C O V E R S T O R Y

M AY 2 0 2 1
12
C O V E R S T O R Y
vehicle upholstery, garments, and foot-
wear. Eel skin boards are industrially
created in boards which are 2 feet by
5 feet or 10 square foot. They come in
both matte and reflexive completions
in numerous shadings. Eel skin has
a characteristic and sumptuous ap-
pearance and feel. Current develop-
ment has delivered full aniline colored,
metallic completions, unadulterated
white, just as multi-hued boards.
Eel leather is multiple times more
grounded than commonplace cowhide
cowhides of a similar thickness. All
things considered, a few originators
and fabricates are stressed that the
meager idea of the skins and boards
will deliver feeble or effectively teara-
ble items. A typical practice is to follow
or back their eel boards to fabric and
additionally cow or pig skin. A few ar-
chitects and produces grumble of spots
or blunders when utilizing glue. The
best arrangement is to inadequately
splash vaporized cement as opposed
to bunching a lot of standard cement
when sponsorship or clinging to their
indented surfaces.
7. Pacu Leather: Pacu from South
America is identified with the piranha
however it is an unadulterated product
of the soil eater. It has striking teeth
and a red stomach, while grown-ups
have dark or dark paunches and weigh
as much as 30 kilos. The pacu is a fa-
mous food fish and lives in streams and
lakes. Like its perilous cousin, the pira-
nha, the pacu is likewise covered with
numerous little scopes.
8. Parrotfish Leather: Parrotfish have
thick, hefty bodies and huge scopes.
They are found in tropical waters all
through the world and show up in a
wide assortment of tones, which may
change contingent upon their sex, sta-
Figure 7: Pacu Leather
tus, or development. The leather from
the tropical parrot fish is a run of the
mill layered fish leather. The skins are
1.5" to 2" wide at the tightest end and
5" wide at the largest end. They are
around 11" long down the center.
9. Salmon Leather: The skin of salmon
is tanned. Salmon cowhide is dainty
and light and is around 60 - 65 centim-
eters in length and 10 - 14 centimeters
wide. The leather of salmon has a high-
er strength than sheep or pig leather.
The principle use for this sort of leath-
er is a specialty item for the embel-
lishments market. Salmon leather is
chic for packs, attire, or shoes. Salmon
leather is regularly vegetable tanned
or FOC (sans chrome) tanned.
Figure 8: Parrotfish Leather
Figure 9: Salmon Leather
10. Shark Leather: Shark skin leather
has a long relationship as a "extrava-
gant leather great." Like most crea-
ture covers up, shark covers up are a
side-effect of the food business. Fishers
measure shark meat for human utiliza-
tion and offer the skin to colorful leath-
er providers.
Sharks have unpleasant, hard scales
called denticles. Tthese denticles are
ground down to make the leather
smoother and simpler to deal with,
which additionally gives shark leather
its pebbled appearance. Since most tan-
neries granulate down the unpleasant
scales, shark stow away has a special
and stunning profound rock surface.
Untanned skins are called shagreen,
an overall term which likewise incor-
porates the untanned leather from po-
nies, seals, and even stingray cover up.
Shark leather is intense and solid. It's
difficult to the point that eighteenth
and mid nineteenth century carpenters
utilized shagreen for sandpaper. Even
in the wake of being shaved down, the
scales assist the leather with staying
away from scrapes and scratches.
11. Other: Leather is not only obtained
from the enlisted fish but also from
several other fish like Tilapia, boxfish,
moray eel, dolphinfish, puffer fish, etc.
Major Fish Leather Producing Nations
Across the World
Leather industry is one of the oldest
industries in the world. Nations across
the globe compete not only to be a lead-
ing leather producer but to also sell
their leather to leading designer labels
of the world. Fish leather production is
yet to be a leading commercial business
for a lot of Nations. China, India, Indo-
nesia, Japan, USA, Thailand, Vietnam,
Chile, Brazil, etc. are one of the lead-
ing fish leather producers of the world.
Kenya has witnessed a subsequent
growth in fish leather production in
the past decade. Fish leather produc-
tion accounts to less share in the leath-
er production sector. Majorly produced
leather is procured from cow, buffalo,
camel, pig, etc.
Impact of Fish Leather Production on
Aquatic Life
Every kind of leather produced from
the animal kingdom requires a ma-
jor execution of innocent creatures for
human luxury and fashion. Leather
production is one of the main reasons
for reduction in number of few exotic
animals and reptiles like crocodiles, al-
ligators, tigers, rhinos, lizards, snakes,
etc. A hike in fish leather production
has also witnessed a rise in killing of
these aquatic animals for leather. This
has majorly affected the aquatic eco-
system as not only the enlisted fishes,
but other aquatic animals are also bru-
tally killed for procuring leather.

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M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y - C o n t e s t W i n n i n g A r t i c l e
EMERGING GLOBAL TRENDS
IN LEATHER
Department of B.Voc, Fashion Design,
K.V.N. Naik College, Nashik
RUPALI KSHATRIYA
Abstract
As the worldwide populace blast, there
were unavoidable ramifications on do-
mesticated animals. Interest for food
and haven have developed complex
bringing about a disturbing shortage of
land implied for raising creatures. Pat-
terns should be anticipated thinking
about conceivable exceptional changes.
Design purchasers are getting more
aware of the climate. They incline to-
ward eco-accommodating material,
traditionalist utilization of assets, di-
minished discharge of poisons, more
noteworthy social responsibility, and
reasonable treatment of workers un-
derway offices.
On the interest front, purchasers are
quickly adjusting towards new plans
and imaginative Leather contribu-
tions to guarantee they are in a state of
harmony with changing style. Another
factor that should be considered is the
ascent of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa) econo-
mies. Their prevailing situation in
the work serious material and Leather
enterprises makes it hard for different
nations to coordinate with them.
Keywords: Leather Industry, Eco –
Leather, Trend, Developing Countries.
Introduction
The leather business has been a cen-
tral participant in the worldwide trade
market for centuries. Today it is un-
questionably a significant industry
of gigantic financial significance on a
global scale; in only one year alone, 23
billion square feet of leather was cre-
ated, bookkeeping to around 45 billion
dollars. The business has not been un-
affected since its beginning, yet rather
has encountered numerous huge and
weighty changes, especially in the last
20 to 30 years. Leather is utilized to
make an assortment of articles, includ-
ing footwear, auto seats, attire, packs,
book ties, design extras, and furniture.
It is delivered in a wide assortment
of types and styles and enriched by a
wide scope of procedures.
Leather Cruel to animals: Leather uti-
lization has gone under analysis in the
20th and 21st Century. As indicated by
the LCA report for the United Nations
Industrial Development Organization,
99% of the crude stows away and skins
utilized in the creation of leather from
creatures raised for meat and dairy
creation.
The main leather delivering Nations:
Italy and Korea, trailed by the condi-
tions of the previous USSR, India, Bra-
zil, Mexico, USA, and China. Albeit the
ecological guidelines set by agricultural
nations are for the most part like those
set by industrialized nations, they are
substantially less liable to be upheld.
Leather influencing the market pat-
terns are leather bordered coats and
hide managed Leather coats adding a
particular touch to the tough leather.
Leather is finished by leather cutting,
Leather stepping, Leather embellish-
ing, pyrography, beading, passing on
Leather or painting on Leather. The
gentlest, most sumptuous Leather
comes from the skin of infant or even
unborn calves. Sourcing this Leather is
dishonest. In numerous nations, qual-
ity norms are extremely high. Stella
mccartney is utilizing eco-accommo-
dating material for her shoes and
purses. Advancement in baggage and
Leather products with new advances
and configuration is the significant for
the business. LVMH Moet Hennessy
Louis Vuitton SA, Coach, Inc., Kering
SA, Prada S.p.A, and Hermes Inter-
national SCA are a portion of the sig-
nificant makers of the gear and leather
merchandise industry.
Eco-Leather: Eco-Leather is made
with fibers for example, flax or cotton
blended in with palm, corn, soybean
and other plant oils that are overlaid
together in layers to make something
that looks and feels as though it came
from a creature. It is breathable. It
does not take after plastic. In contrast
to genuine Leather, which requires the
poisonous tanning measure, materials
in eco-leather are supportable and pro-
duce a low carbon impression. On the
other side, the item is firm, it is hard to
work with and the sewing breaks. So,
we ca not yet utilize procedures acces-
sible to make shoes with this material.
Interest in the eco-Leather material is
developing. Brands like Nike, Puma
and Adidas have mentioned tests so
they can explore different avenues re-
garding this new item. We can utilize
plants to make bio-based material that
replaces leather which has ecological
and social concerns encompassing it
the substitute could merit the pause.

14
M AY 2 0 2 1
Beige Leather 2021: Beige Leather
2021 is not anything convoluted by any
stretch of the imagination. It is just a
blend of the two greatest patterns at
this moment, beige, and leather! Beige
leather skirts are likewise having their
second. The beige leather frequently
goes close with earthy colored; creature
prints and everything hearty tones. So,
this is a choice accept knee-high boots,
turtlenecks, curiously large glasses,
and layered outfits.
Leather Trends Fall Winter 2021 2022:
Climate change has been influencing
society, making apprehension and un-
easiness. The customers will be looking
for expectation and rebuilding through
perfect, feasible items. Interests in in-
ventive innovations like a veggie lover
(desert flora, mushroom, apple, grape,
and pineapple Leather) or reused
leather will lead this development.
Eco-more amicable and more practi-
cal materials will have more promi-
nent appeal to more up to date ages.
Most customers will attempt to roll out
an improvement in their utilization.
In this manner, it will be essential to
remember that there is a developing
spotlight on quality over amount.
1. Intriguing Leather prints
For ladies and men prepared to-wear
and adornments, the reptile skin
Leather will be one of the impres-
sive patterns for Autumn-Winter
2021/2020. This print will be utilized
for sacks, belts, shoes, coats and even
furnishings. For this pattern, we will
be searching for regular shades of a
crocodile or snake. In this period of in-
novation, computerized, neon extraor-
dinary examples are pursued. With
this sort of print, you will need to make
a piece that the customer will think
about remarkable.
2. Shiny leather
In response to expanded political and
social pressures all throughout the
planet, customers will search for "hard
and fast" articulation for Autumn-Win-
ter 21/22. Clients will be searching for
lavish plans. The trend will be to uti-
lize a smooth waxy completion on the
leather to give a more advanced look,
lavishness in footwear, prepared to-
wear and adornments. Thus, when you
consider this specific amazingly radi-
ant completion pattern, have as a top
priority gleaming pants, metallic coats
and fluid Leather coats.
3. Beautiful leather
The shoppers will look for solace and
a tad of euphoria in their sentimental-
ity. The pastel shadings that will be on
the spotlight for Autumn/Winter 21/22
will be
• Pastel blue (Pantone 12-4607
TPX),
• Cabbage (Pantone 13-5714 TPX),
• Lavender Fog (13-3820 TCX),
• Puristic Lilac (Pantone 14-3905
TCX),
• Putty Pink (Pantone 13-1208 TCX)
• Buff Orange (14-1128 TCX) and
• Lemon Verbena (12-0742 TCX).
Zero in on colors that have a gray-
ish suggestion that will bring a more
adaptable touch.
1. Upcoming wearable leather trends
in fashion industry
Fashion trends are influenced by glob-
al shifts, considering foreign demand
and driving marketplaces around the
world. Snake, croc, and abstract de-
signs can help to break up the monot-
ony of leather. Dark, paranoid clothing
has become the new hot. By emphasiz-
ing contrast, some interplay between
darker and lighter colors might be ap-
pealing.
A leather jacket with a fur collar is the
greatest method to keep yourself toasty
and stylish when it is too chilly to func-
tion. These jackets are the best way to
combine warmth, elegance, and style.
Coordinate the shade of the fur with
the rest of your look or create a con-
trast by choosing a collar that stands
out from your outfit.
2. Changing leather trend and vegan
leather
With the increasing emphasis on sus-
tainability in fashion, vegan leather
is becoming more common. The rising
popularity of fake vegan leather is one
of them. Vegans are those who oppose
the use of animals as food. Meat and
fish, as well as dairy products, eggs,
and honey, are among them. Vegan
product lines have been introduced by
some of the world’s largest fashion la-
bels in recent years, and the trend is
rapidly spreading.
3. Leather innovations in fashion in-
dustry
Without using chemically intensive
methods, the leather can be dyed nat-
urally and tanned. Pinatex, derived
from pineapple plant leaves, and Be-
yond Leather, which uses leftovers
from apple juice and cider processing.
Plants, recycled cotton, hemp, natural
rubber, cork, and vegetable oil can all
be used to make leather. This promises
a 40% reduction in carbon emissions as
compared to conventional leather and
a 17-fold reduction in carbon emissions
as compared to synthetic leather made
from plastic.
Conclusion
Many people value leather as a natural
material and are interested in it, but
they are sometimes unaware of what
they have on hand. Leather has a clear
and bold appearance that many people
want in a statement piece. Leather is
trending and thriving because of its
versatility; it can easily be toned up or
down for any style mix. Leather will
continue to be used for a very long time
in the future.
References
• https://www.fibre2fashion.com/
industry-article/7739/emerging-
g l o b a l - t r e n d s - i n - l e a t h e r - a n d -
fashion?amp=true
• https://www.thegoodtrade.com/fea-
tures/sustainable-vegan-leather-alter-
natives
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather
• https://www.fibre2fashion.com/indus-
try-article/2233/leather-trend-and-fash-
ion

15
M AY 2 0 2 1
FUTURE TRENDS OF VEGAN
LEATHER
PG Department of Textile Science and Apparel Design,
SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
SHIVANI GAIKWAD
Introduction
Vegan leather also called “Faux” leath-
er, is an alternative leather to animal
leather. Vegan leather is not made
from animal skin. Plants, fruits and
plastic are the main materials, which
is used to make vegan leather. Vegan
leather has a similar look like leather
which is produced from animal skin.
Vegan leather is also known as Syn-
thetic leather, Pleather and Alterna-
tive leather.
Following are the latest substitutes
and alternative of animal leather:
1. Mango Leather
Luxtra is London based sustainable
brand. Luxtra launched a handbag
which are made from mangoes. To cre-
ate the durable leather like material
made from leftover mangoes, the Lux-
tra collaborate with Hugo De Boom &
Koen Meerkerk- founders of the Dutch
Compony Fruit Leather Rotterdam. To
produced mango, leather the sourced
leftover mangoes from fruit markets.
Fruit leather produced the mango
leather in its facilities in Rotterdam by
mashing and boiling leftover mangoes
to remove bacteria. Luxtra is one of the
first UK brand who introduced designs
using fruit leather mango material.
2. Elephant Ear Plant Leather
Elephant Ear Plant Leather is pro-
duced by Nova Kaeru, an organic tan-
nery based in Brazil. It has similar
characteristics like traditional leather.
This innovative leather is environment
friendly. The CO2 emission of its pro-
duction process are much lower as they
are compensated by the carbon absorp-
tion of the plant growth. This leather is
used to make bags and furniture.
ther has Chitin, a kind of protein that
gives the same properties which other
leather gives such as strength and du-
rability.
Figure 1. Mango Leather
Figure 2. Elephant Ear Plant Leather
3. Fleather
Fleather is made from discarded flow-
ers. Phool.co. backed by IIT Kanpur
has made a fleather, a bio-material
alternative to animal leather. This is
made from enormous amount of flower
waste from temples of Kanpur. Flea-
Figure 3. Fleather
4. Coconut Water Leather
New fashion brand “Malai” uses bac-
terial cellulose obtained from coconut
water to generate a leather like mate-
rial. They used coconut water which
is discarded from a factory is Kerala,
India. The leather is compostable and
biodegradable. This innovative, water-
resistant textured leather is used to
make purses, wallets, bags and shoes.
Malai was launched by Zuzana Gom-
bosova in 2018. Zuzana Gombosova,
a material researcher and fashion de-
signer from Slovakia & CS Susmith, a
product designer from Kerala.
Figure 4. Coconut Water Leather

16
M AY 2 0 2 1
5. Green Tea Leather
A research group at Auburn Univer-
sity in Alabama invented a material
obtained from green tea, green tea ma-
terial has similar properties like ani-
mal leather. When green tea material
mixed with other sustainable fabric
such as hemp, it becomes breathable,
biodegradable and strong material.
From this green tea leather the team
made prototype shoes which tester re-
sulted was more flexible & comfortable
than animal leather.
Further Development of Vegan Leath-
er
Leather is one of the greatest traded
commodities in the world. Leather
product industry play a important role
in the world’s economy. Demand for
vegan leather is increasing worldwide
due to its various applications such
as, pursues, bags, clothing, furnishing,
automotive, accessories and others.
Demand for a faux or vegan leather is
driven by a range of components such
as, evolving customers trend, increas-
ing demand for animal free products,
rising knowledge about the features of
vegan leather among others.
In the vegan leather market research
and development work has played an
important role in distinguishing the
overall properties of vegan leather
from traditional leather. Stockhold-
ers in the vegan leather market view
are investing in research and develop
vegan leather with excellent charac-
teristics. Upcoming and established
competitor in the current market land-
scape are involved in the production
of vegan leather with different colors,
patterns, functionalities and textures.
There are various companies are get
into strategic partnerships to produce
innovative and durable vegan leather
in line with trend of developing in-
dustries. In addition most of the com-
panies are announcing alliance with
other companies to facilitate the crea-
tion of new models aimed at commer-
cializing different applications. Cur-
rently due to the increasing demand
for vegan leather in various industries
such as furnishing, clothing, footwear,
automotive, accessories, etc., vendors
are expected to align their product de-
velopment work, according to the need
of the each of their industries.
Reference
1. https://www.livekindly.co/new-de-
signer-vegan-leather-handbags-are-
made-from-mangoes/
2. https://www.verycompostable.com/
posts/sustainability-a-unique-leather-
like-material-made-from-leaves/
3. https://materialdistrict.com/article/
bags-leaf-leather-recycled-pet/
4. https://www.livekindly.co/vegan-leath-
er-indian-temple-flowers/
5. https://www.peta.org/living/personal-
care-fashion/vegan-leather-chic-sus-
tainable-and-fruity/
6. https://www.google.com/amp/s/veg-
conomist.com/market-and-trends/
vegan-leather-industry-will-be-worth-
89-6-billion-by-2025/amp/
7. Figure 1: https://www.livekindly.co/
new-designer-vegan-leather-hand-
bags-are-made-from-mangoes/
8. Figure 2: https://materialdistrict.com/
article/bags-leaf-leather-recycled-pet/
9. Figure 3: https://www.tribuneindia.
com/news/schools/now-fleather-an-
alternative-to-animal-leather-220978
10. Figure 4: https://www.peta.org/living/
personal-care-fashion/vegan-leather-
chic-sustainable-and-fruity/
11. Figure 5: https://www.peta.org/living/
personal-care-fashion/vegan-leather-
chic-sustainable-and-fruity/
Figure 5. Green Tea Leather
Applications of Vegan Leather
 Automotive
 Clothing
 Furnishing
 Footwear
 Accessories
White Leather is the hardest to create. Calfskin overall is
a coarse and hard material. In any case, this trademark
additionally has a disadvantage to it as not all covers up
are not difficult to color. Particularly if there should be
an occurrence of white leather as the color is inclined to
breaking and doesn't set. Try not to be astonished in the
event that you stroll into a cowhide store and can't help
thinking about why the white items are more costly than
their diversely hued partners.
F A C T S

17
M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
LEATHER MADE OUT OF CACTUS
Dr.N.N. MAHAPATRA
Business Head (Dyes)
Shree Pushkar Chemicals & Fertilisers Ltd., Mumbai
Plant-based leather alternatives are a
growing market, with innovators turn-
ing to pineapple, olives, and coconuts to
produce eco-friendly materials. Earlier
this year one of the leading brands un-
veiled a vegan jacket made from pine-
apple leather, while another launched
a product of leather shoes made from
olive leaves. Very interesting an-
other local south India manufacturer
came out with leather and accessories
made from coconuts.
With growing awareness of the effects
of the leather industry on the environ-
ment and animals, the market for cru-
elty-free alternatives will keep grow-
ing. So many brands are out there,
trying to make vegan leather as low-
impact as possible by using plants to
create leather-like fabrics. Two facto-
ries in Mexico have developed durable
vegan leather from cactus, and it could
very well replace animal leather.
Initially, all vegan leather was made of
plastic-based materials. Later on due to
further research in the last few years,
textile scientists have discovered many
ways to make vegan leather out of eve-
rything easily available from pineap-
ples to cactus leaves to flowers. The ve-
gan leather industry has come up now
leaving aside the good old leather
and coming out with some exciting
plant-based leathers on the market.
Very interesting every vegan leather is
made from a plant, but unfortunately,
none of them are fully biodegradable
yet. That is because each material is
either made with a mixture of plants
and polyurethane or is plant-based and
coated with a plastic-based resin. While
there are a few brands already selling
fully compostable sneakers, no one has
been able to come out with compostable
vegan leather shoes yet. But the good
news is, most of the brands are fine-
tuning towards perfecting their respec-
tive vegan leathers to make their shoes
biodegradable.
It is well known Vegan leather has
always a lower impact than animal-
based leather, whether it is plant-based
or completely synthetic. Not only does
vegan leather leave animals out of the
picture, but the process of manufactur-
ing like breeding, raising, and killing
animals and tanning leather has a
high environmental impact. To raise
animals (typically cows) for leather
requires large amounts of land, water,
and cattle feed, the animals emit meth-
ane into the atmosphere; and the ex-
crement from cattle bodies and factory
farms pollutes the nearby waterways,
soil, and air, which becomes a public
health risk for people who live nearby.
The manufacturers had previously
made vegan leather from a mix of
polyurethane and bio-oil. The bio-oil
is sourced from cereal crops that were
organically grown in northern Europe
in a carbon-neutral process. The manu-
facturer is trying to stop using polyu-
rethane to make its vegan leather and
recently planning to come out with a
new product using viscose made from
eucalyptus bark.
It has been found that all the major
vegan leather manufacturers make ve-
gan leathers made from plants but also
contain polyurethane in their compo-
sition, usually in their finishing or as
the backing material. It was a required
component in the production.
Later on, people are thinking of a
100 percent biodegradable vegan
leather technology that does not ex-
ist to exclude polyurethane totally
but time is not far the researchers
have developed a vegan leather
made from nopal cactus leaves which
are organic, partially biodegradable,
soft, and durable which can be used
to make furniture and car interiors in
addition to fashion items like wallets,
purses, and shoes.
The scientists named Adrian Lopez
Velarde and Marte Cazarez came to-
gether to create a cruelty-free alter-
native to animal leather, and just last
month, they developed the first time an
organic leather made entirely from no-
pal or prickly pear cactus which they
name as “ Dessert “. They want to sell
Desserto fabric to other designers and
fashion brands, rather than design and
sell their products. These nopal cactus
grow in abundance across Mexico with-
out requiring any water called a low-
impact crop.
Cactus leather is a sustainable leather
alternative made from Opuntia Cactus
(also known as Nopal) that has been
developed in Mexico. It is called Des-
serto and is a highly sustainable plant-
based vegan leather made from cactus
having superior softness to touch and
great performance for a wide variety
of applications and complying with
the most rigorous quality and environ-
mental standards. Developed by two
entrepreneurs from Mexico who used
to work in the automotive and fashion
industries where they found strong en-
vironmental impact in both sectors it
is concluded this vegan leather aims to

18
M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
offer a cruel-free and sustainable alter-
native, without toxic chemicals, phtha-
lates, and PVC.
Production of Vegan Leather
It is one of the world’s most popular
and heavy demand products where
leather is part of an overwhelming $80
billion industry. Thanks to these two
innovative entrepreneurs for develop-
ing a method of converting cactus into
vegan leather which is so realistic to
look and feel you would never imag-
ine it was made from this desert plant.
They have named their cactus vegan
leather Desserto, and it is made from
cactus grown on their plantation in the
city of Zacatecas situated in Mexico.
The cactus as a plant is having rugged,
thick skin, which makes it the perfect
texture to have a similar appearance to
animal leather.
Interestingly, the idea of using this
raw material was mooted because this
plant does not need any water to grow,
and there is plenty of it throughout
Mexico country. Before starting bulk
production in various industries, it is
essential to see the supply of cactus
plant, the main raw material which
should be stable and abundant. Pres-
ently they have 2 hectares where they
cultivate cactus, as well as there is an
expansion capacity of 40 hectares. Re-
garding production capacity, they can
500,000 linear meters of vegan leather
a month.
The harvesting process includes the
cactus cycle where they select and
cut only the mature leaves of the
plant around every 6 - 8 months. No
irrigation systems are used as the
cactus grow healthy with rainwater
and earth minerals found in the soil.
The vegan leather is made with leaves
from the Prickly Pear Cactus. The ma-
ture leaves are cut from organically
grown cactus plants, cleaned, mashed,
and then left out in the sun to dry for
three days until the desired humidity
levels are achieved, before processing.
The process for cactus leather involves
using either the new young leaves or
the mature leaves of the plant. It can
then be dyed naturally using meth-
ods developed by the three innovators
Adriano Di Marti, López Velarde’s, and
Cázarez’s. This makes for vegan leath-
er that is certified organic and can hold
up to regular usage for nearly a decade.
The organic raw material is then pro-
cessed and mixed with non-toxic chem-
icals and then shaped into any texture
and color. The ranch is fully organic, so
no herbicides or pesticides are used in
the process. All the remaining organic
cactus material which are not used is
exported and sold nationally to the food
industry.
Properties of Vegan Leather
It is also flexible, breathable, durable,
and does not stain making it an ideal
replacement for animal and synthetic
leather. The touch and feel of the ma-
terial are also soft and very similar to
real leather. The product is also highly
sustainable with a lower carbon foot-
print than other leather alternatives.
The finest point is
1. It is less water-intensive
2. It is Free from phthalates
3. It is Free from toxic chemicals
4. It is PVC free.
The “ Desserto “ cactus vegan leather
has been manufactured as per the
technical specifications required by the
fashion, leather goods, furniture, and
even automotive industries. It is hav-
ing a durability of around ten years,
the cactus leather’s basic features,
elasticity, customizable and breath-
able, are like those of animal or syn-
thetic leather.
Uses of Plant Leather
Apart from being natural and cruelty-
free, the material also meets the
specifications of several industries and
can be used in:
1. Fashion
2. Leather goods
3. Automobiles
4. Furniture
Vegan leather is on par, in terms of
pricing, with genuine leather. So far,
the company has created car seats,
shoes, handbags, and even apparel. In
another plus for the environment, cac-
tus leather is partially biodegradable
and does not contain any plastic—an-
other issue with synthetic leather. This
makes for a true alternative to animal
leather that does not harm the planet.
Ages of Siberians and Scandinavians have been utilizing Salm-
on leather for quite a long time. Having started in Siberia, the
antiquated craft of assembling Salmon leather has consistently
been near and is more eco-accommodating in light of the utiliza-
tion of the vegetable tanning strategy. Anyway, Salmon leather
never acquired notoriety because of the lessening quantities of
wild Salmon in specific spaces of the world and the wide acces-
sibility of creature skin.
F A C T S

19
M AY 2 0 2 1
STUDY OF LEATHER FABRIC
DKTE Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Icchalkaranji
PRADNYA AVHAD
Abstract
Leather is a durable and flexible mate-
rial created by tanning the animal raw
hide. The mainly used raw material
is cattle hide and skin. Leather usage
has come under criticism in the 20th
and 21st centuries by Animal Rights
groups. These groups claim that buy-
ing or wearing leather is unethical be-
cause producing leather requires ani-
mals to be killed. However, according
to the LCA report for the United Na-
tions Industrial Development Organi-
zation, most of the raw hides and skins
used in the production of leather were
derived from animals that are raised
for meat and/or dairy production. The
skin and hide from the meat industry
may create a major pollution. It can
be either burnt or buried in landfill.
Leather production utilizes the non-
usable part of dead animals, so that,
there will no waste of animals’ skin. It
helps to decrease dead animal waste
and improves economic growth of India
by maximizing export of leather goods.
Introduction
Leather is processed by tanning ani-
mal raw hide and skins to make it du-
rable and flexible. It can be produced
at manufacturing scales ranging from
artisan to modern industrial scale.
Leather making has been practiced for
more than 7,000 years; the earliest re-
cord of leather artifacts dates to 2200
BCE. Leather is used to make a variety
of articles. It is produced in a wide va-
riety of types and styles and decorated
by a wide range of techniques as in Fig.
No.1.
Leather usage has come under criti-
cism in the 20th and 21st centuries
by animal rights groups. These groups
claim that buying or wearing leather
is unethical because producing leather
requires animals to be killed. How-
ever, according to the LCA report for
the United Nations Industrial Devel-
opment Organization, 99% of the raw
hides and skins used in the production
of leather derive from animals raised
for meat and/or dairy production.
Manufacturing Process
The leather manufacturing process is
divided into three fundamental sub-
processes: 1. Preparatory stages, 2.
Tanning, and 3. Crusting. A further
sub-process of finishing can be added
into the leather processing sequence,
but not all leathers receive finishing.
1. The preparatory stages are when
the hide is prepared for tanning. Pre-
paratory stages may include soaking,
hair removal, liming, deliming, bating,
bleaching, and pickling.
2. Tanning is a process that stabilizes
the proteins, particularly collagen, of
the raw hide to increase the thermal,
chemical, and microbiological stability
of the hides and skins. Thus, making
it suitable for a wide variety of end
applications. The principal difference
between raw and tanned hides is that
raw hides dry out to form a hard, in-
flexible material that, when rewetted,
will putrefy, while tanned material
dries to a flexible form that does not
become putrid when rewetted.
Many tanning methods and materi-
als exist. The typical process sees tan-
ners load the hides into a drum and
immerse them in a tank that contains
the tanning "liquor." The hides soak
while the drum slowly rotates about
its axis, and the tanning liquor slowly
penetrates through the full thickness
of the hide. Once the process achieves
even penetration, workers slowly raise
the liquor’s pH in a process called basi-
fication, which fixes the tanning mate-
rial to the leather. The more tanning
material fixed, the higher the leather’s
hydrothermal stability and shrinkage
temperature resistance.
3. Crusting is a process that thins and
lubricates leather. It often includes a
coloring operation. Chemicals added
during crusting must be fixed in place.
Crusting culminates with a drying and
softening operation, and may include
splitting, shaving, dyeing, whitening
or other methods.
Finishing Process for some leathers,
tanners apply a surface coating, called
finishing. Finishing operations can in-
clude oiling, brushing, buffing, coating,
polishing, embossing, glazing, or tum-
bling, among others.
Leather can be oiled to improve its wa-
ter resistance. This currying process
after tanning supplements the natu-
ral oils remaining in the leather itself,
which can be washed out through re-
peated exposure to water. Frequent oil-
ing of leather, with mink oil, neat’s-foot
oil, or a similar material keeps it sup-
ple and improves its lifespan dramati-
C O V E R S T O R Y

20
M AY 2 0 2 1
cally [1].
Tanning methods
Tanning processes largely differ in
which chemicals are used in the tan-
ning liquor. Some common types in-
clude:
Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned us-
ing tannins extracted from vegetable
matter, such as tree bark prepared in
bark mills. It is the oldest known meth-
od.
Chrome-tanned leather is tanned us-
ing chromium sulfate and other chro-
mium salts. It is also known as "wet
blue" for the pale blue color of the un-
dyed leather
Aldehyde-tanned leather is tanned us-
ing glutaraldehyde or oxazolidine com-
pounds. It is referred to as "wet white"
due to its pale cream color.
Chamois leather is a form of aldehyde
tanning that produces a porous and
highly water-absorbent leather. Cham-
ois leather is made using marine oils.
Brain tanned leathers are made by a
labor-intensive process that uses emul-
sified oils, often those of animal brains
such as deer, cattle, and buffalo.
Alum leather is transformed using alu-
minum salts mixed with a variety of
binders and protein sources, such as
flour and egg yolk. Alum leather is not
actually tanned; rather the process is
called tawing.
Grades of Leather
 Top grain leather
 Full grain leather
 Corrected grain leather
 Split leather
 Bicast leather
 Patent leather
 Suede leather
 Bonded leather
Properties of Leather
 Leather has High tensile strength
i.e., cow leather is between 8 – 25 N /
mm². Leather with higher fat content
has a higher tear strength. But there
are many other parameters that in-
fluence the tear strength, the tanning
method, the finish, the stiffness, or
the age of the leather. Since leather is
a natural product, every skin behaves
differently. Resistance to tear is an im-
portant property. Good leather is sta-
ble and resistant to tearing, whereas
suede, nubuck or extremely soft lamb-
skin will not have the same stability
as, for example, a belted leather.
 High resistance to flexing i.e., the
ability to withstand numerous flex-
ing cycles without damage or deterio-
ration. Better mouldability, it can be
molded into a certain shape and then
remolded into another shape later.
 Permeability to water vapor i.e., ena-
bles leather to absorb water and per-
spiration.
 Good thermostatic properties i.e. The
leather is warm in winter and cool in
summer. It is resistant to heat and fire.
Leather provides good heat insulation.
 The leather is resistant to abrasion
in both wet and dry environments.
This makes leather an excellent pro-
tector of skin.
 Resistant to Fire, fungi, and chemi-
cal attack.
Advantages of Leather
Leather is truly sustainable and natu-
ral fiber. Good leather ages well and
can keep for long period. Leather is
easy to repair and easy to maintenance.
Leather products can be recycled and
have natural comfort. Leather is more
luxurious and have beautiful surface
area. It has many ends uses as follows-
Leather can be used as binder for fin-
ished books. It is often used to make
clothing including pants, skirt, rain-
coats, and jackets. Leather has been
used for all types of equestrian related
products, including horse hoof boots.
also, From fashionable winter gloves
to durable work gloves. Fashionable
footwear is one of the most common
uses for leather, including boots, shoes,
slippers, and more. Couches, chairs,
recliners, and even automotive interi-
ors are made from leather. Leather can
be used for accessories like wristwatch
straps, jewellery, belts, wallets, bags,
and purses etc.
Disadvantages
Leather is more sensitive to fluctua-
tions in temperature, where it can feel
warmer in summer and cold in winter.
When it comes to color and patterns,
combinations of color and patterns are
limited. It has main drawback i.e., pro-
ducing leather requires animals to be
killed.
Conclusion
This study gives us basic information
of leather i.e., history, manufacturing
process, applications, etc. Which shows
leather is a natural, biodegradable fab-
ric. It is made from tanning of animal
skin. The rawhide and skin used for
leather manufacturing is comes from,
99% of the raw hides and skins used
in the production of leather derive from
animals raised for meat and/or dairy
production. Leather productions uti-
lize non usable part of dead animals,
so that there will no waste of animals.
References
1. "Interesting Facts about Leather"
https://www.decorium.com/tag/disadvan-
tages-of-leather/ CalTrend. Retrieved 7 Feb-
ruary 2018.
2. Applications
h t t p s : / / e n . w i k i p e d i a . o r g / w i k i /
Leather#Production_processes
3. Properties
https://saddlesindia.com/properties-of-
leather/
https://www.colourlock.com/blog/Advan-
tageLeather/
4. Basic Information- Manufacturing process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leather
C O V E R S T O R Y

21
M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
BEING WHOLESOME
Textile Department, NIFT, Chennai
PEARL BANSAL
Abstract
India being a developing nation, in
terms of technology most specifically,
textiles have taken a turn towards
sustainability. The textile industries of
India are more conscious about being
environmentally friendly and conser-
vation of their resources to fulfill their
social commitment to a sustainable
world. But are the textile industries be-
ing able to live up to terms of the word
“sustainability?” The roadblock here
is the term “leather.” As commonly
known, leather is durable and luxuri-
ous. What makes it luxurious in the
world is that it has extracted from the
animal hides of alligators, crocodiles,
reptiles, snakes, deers, pigs, lambs,
cows, thus proving its authenticity.
Leather is expensive and regarded as
a biodegradable material, but what is
the real cost we are soon gonna pay off
for making luxurious leather products
in the future? That question will be
valid if there are going to be any ani-
mal left to derive leather from.
Introduction
With the inclination of the world’s tex-
tiles towards the factor “sustainability,”
will the luxurious worth of the “leath-
er” remain? There is a growth in the
demand for leather as a material for
the goods in the industry. Simultane-
ously, there are countries that, keeping
the quality standards in mind, are also
avoiding the use of harmful chemicals
to produce more sustainable products
of leather. In India, the leather indus-
try is blooming, thus creating bright
career options in the field of technology
and designing areas. But again, the
question arises, at what cost? At the
cost of giving up on our ecosystem and
wildlife? Is it even sustainable? No, it's
not. After the leather is derived, it does
not remain eco-friendly due to the ad-
dition of chemicals; create pollutants
and toxic waste. The natural breeding
of animals gives out carbon emissions
and pollutes the air soil and water.
Thus, proving to be toxic for the whole
ecosystem. It takes approximately 20-
25 years to decompose completely be-
cause of the tanning process done. The
whole world is talking about turning
into a vegan in terms of food, we are
nearly neglecting the fact that we are
using the non-vegan material “leath-
er’” without looking for a suitable al-
ternative for the same to maintain its
value.
Coming up with creative solutions for
a problem is what sets a base for a per-
son with a creative mind. Innovations
are what defines new technologies.
With these two factors going hand in
hand, we are in the process to come
with an answer to the question of how
can “leather “as a material contribu-
tion in the terms of sustainability. The
leather industry is enforcing laws for
improved and sustainable solutions by
investing in top tanneries.
According to research by the Vogue
Business, the top most global indus-
try of the world, the Leather Working
Group is working towards the usage of
authentic ways to assure that the tan-
neries have a minimal effect on the eco-
system. But how can Leather become a
wholesome material, wherein no wild-
life is affected.
Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cáza-
rez used the “cactus plant” to grow in
the Mexican state, to replace the hides
of animals, known as Desserto. Cacti
leather proves to be a vegan material
which also will give a unique and rav-
ishing look to the leather products. It
was applauded for its durability, elas-
ticity, brilliant texture, feel, color and
softness. Thus acting as the best-suited
replacement for a sustainable ecosys-
tem.
Mushrooms are nothing but an ed-
ible fungus called Phellinus ellipsoids,
which surely grow in abundance.
Leather is made from mushrooms is
termed “Muskin,” made from the caps
of mushrooms. The originator of the
leather, Grado Zero, assures the usage
of eco wax for the eco-friendly produc-
tion of the products. This mushroom
leather has a mutual benefit. How?
It’s because these fungus feed in the
tree trunks thus rotting them. Because
these mushroom caps will be used, they
will not only replace the animal leather
but also ensure a healthy environment.
Muskin is water-resistant, non-toxic,
and durable for the products.
Yet another popular vegan form of
leather is pineapple, known as the
Piñatex’s leather, made from the leaves
of the fruit. It was discovered by the
London-based company, Ananas Anam
Ltd. The raw material of this leather
is food waste. Pinatex leather creates a
good opportunity for the farming com-

22
M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
munities, therefore a creative and sus-
tainable byproduct.
Conclusion
Replacement of animal leather with
more environmentally friendly leather
material is the need today. Without
wildlife being affected, it will lead us
strictly on the path of sustainability
and create something different and in-
novative which would boost up the
industry of textiles in ay ways. It will
also reduce pollution and toxicity as
these environmental and vegan prod-
ucts will be the new base setters.
It will also create farming opportuni-
ties for many people. Keeping up with
the latest trend sustainability, will not
only be beneficial to those terms but
will also prove to be of great success if
the textiles designers take it forward.
It’s not that there aren’t any alterna-
tives or solutions to it. There are some
which have been already discovered,
but it’s on us, the And come up with
these “go green” kinda, if we take u the
idea of growing plants like cactus. By
mending our ways of living a luxurious
life, it will bring a healthy lifestyle for
those poor animals from whom we take
away their skin. The textile designers
and those working on the technologies
related to textiles, come together and
find more ways to go fully eco-friendly
in every possible way we can for the
benefit of our future generation.
References
1. https://www.myklassroom.com/Engineer-
ing-branches/13/Leather-Technology
2. https://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-
article/7739/emerging-global-trends-in-
leather-and-fashion
3. https://healabel.com/l-fabrics-materials-
textiles/leather
4. https://www.voguebusiness.com/compa-
nies/green-sustainable-conscious-leather
5. https://mymodernmet.com/vegan-cac-
tus-leather-desserto/
6. https://www.thegoodtrade.com/fea-
tures/sustainable-vegan-leather-alterna-
tives
Due to recovery progress in the automo-
tive sector, investments in nonwoven
production lines for the manufacture
of glass fibre-reinforced thermobonded
structural parts for automotive inte-
riors are being considered. DiloGroup
has received a repeat order from Zhe-
jiang Huajiang Science and Tech-
nology Co., Ltd. for a complete web-
forming and needling line to process
blends of glass and polypropylene fibre
through a state-of-the-art fibre prepa-
ration system, web-forming, carding
and crosslapping and needling units.
The fibre preparation system from
DiloTemafa is adapted to the special re-
quirements for processing glass fibre in
the most efficient way and to provide
homogeneous blends with PP.
The component-dependent “Baltro-
mix” blending system using highly
precise weighing pans provides accu-
rately dosed fibre material on the col-
lecting apron, which is further opened
and blended in a carding willow. This
carding willow is used in most of Dilo-
Group complete line installations as a
successful tool for further opening and
blending tasks, in many cases together
with a smaller chamber for final blend-
ing.
In many installations DiloTemafa also
provides the recycling of quality fibre
derived from the whole process which
is sucked off at many stations in the
fibre preparation and web-forming
system in order to save fibre material.
Installations for fibre transport and for
fibre recycling within a line together
with re-opened edge trim material
from a needling station and for de-
dusting the machines by a drum filter
or bag filter station can be specifically
engineered and designed by DiloGroup
air system engineering department.
The efficiency of a whole line process-
ing mineral fibre largely depends on
the efficiency in dedusting all machine
components from bale opening through
needling. Solutions for this demand-
ing task are part of the expertise of
DiloSystems as general contractor. At
the card, the so-called “fancy roller” is
part of the system to provide the means
to build the web on this double-doffer
system without leaving too much fi-
bre within the card clothing wire. Dilo
works closely together with a range
of customers and card wire suppliers
to provide an optimum wire system
for processing the demanding range of
mineral fibres successfully.
In the needleloom this expertise to pro-
long the intervals for cleaning stops is
vital to efficiency. Therefore, blowing
nozzles to clean the perforated plates,
stripper and bed plates, are installed
within the needleloom. The dust ex-
haust is separated at a filter station.
The majority of Dilo lines today in-
clude an elaborate air system and the
necessary components for fibre trans-
port, dust transport and the transport
of recycled fibres which are introduced
at the beginning of the line.

23
C O V E R S T O R Y
M AY 2 0 2 1
Leather is one of the most useful and
earliest discoveries. It is stout and re-
silient material made from tanning an-
imal rawhides and skins. Before man
invented alphabets, they using simple
sign language and drawing on skin of
animals for communication. Later they
used this skin for clothing and shelter.
In cold climates, the fur which was
on top of the leather provide extreme
warmth and in hot climates hides help
to stay cool. Later man found how they
preserved their animal hides for little
longer time with the help of sun drying,
smoking and bark extracts. Some raw
leather hides were left in water, with
some bark of trees and leaves contain-
ing tannic acid. This is how the tanned
leather was discovered. It is believed
tained in Ancient time, the quality of
Roman sandals conveyed their class in
the society.
From the Ancient times till now leath-
er artificers have used different tech-
niques and tools to employ leather for
various functional and creative pur-
poses. Assyria natives used leather as
containers to store liquids. Mongolians
used leather for making leather cover,
flasks masks, decorative caps. Sumer-
ians in Mesopotamia used leather for
with a fashionable look, and the gen-
eral increase in life expectancy led to
the demand for durable, soft, supple,
colourful leather. Traditional vegetable
tanned leather was too stiff and thick
for this need and thus the use of chro-
mium salt was adopted and chrome
tanning become the standard for foot-
wear, fashion and upholstery leather.
Cattle hide is a most common raw
material. Leather is utilized for mak-
ing attire, footwear, sacks, car seats,
bookbinding, design adornments and
furniture.
Modern technology has allowed inno-
vations in the leather industry, as the
development of chemicals, sophisticat-
ed equipments and processing methods
have greatly expanded the aesthetic
and leather feel as well as potential
applications. Lather is the material of
choice, not only for commercial but and
also for aviation, marine and automo-
bile applications.
Reference
1.https://www.mooreandgiles.com/
leather/resources/history/#:~:text=Our%20
a n c e s t o r s % 2 0 u s e d % 2 0 l e a t h e r % 2 0
to,crude%20tents%20from%20the%20
hides.&text=The%20ancient%20Greeks%20
are%20credited,water%20to%20pre-
serve%20the%20leather.
2.https://www.libertyleathergoods.com/
history-of-leather/#:~:text=The%20history%20
of%20leather%20began,Revolution%2C%20
and%20into%20modern%20times.
3.https://www.gulmoharlane.com/blog/
leather-history-and-tradition
4.Figure 1: https://www.gulmoharlane.com/
blog/leather-history-and-tradition
5.Figure 2: https://www.theinternational-
man.com/accessories/leather-goods.php
Figure 1. Leather Tanning Process in Early 90s
that ancient Greek developed this pro-
cess around 500 BC. The process con-
tinued in Greece and elsewhere.
Use of Leather in different civilizations
There were different types of products
and leather works in different civiliza-
tions. Through the wall painting and
arts in Egyptian tombs dating around
5000 BC it has been proved that leath-
er was used for making boots, clothing,
military equipment and for storage.
For shields, armours, clothing and har-
nesses, Romans made extensive use of
leather. They also used leather as ob-
Figure 2. Egyptian Wall Painting
dress and diadems for ladies.
Artificers who produced these products
belonged to leather guildsmen, who se-
cretly guarded their leather crafting
skills and managing it down from fa-
ther to son. In the middle ages, leather
become a proffered cover for dining
chairs, as they were easy to maintain
and did not absorb food odours. In the
16th century when cortex took control
on Mexico, leather craftmanship was
expoesed to the world. The spread of
industrialization in the 18th and 19th
centuries led to the demand for new
types of leathers, such as belt leather
to operate the mechanical systems.
The invention of automobile, the de-
mand for soft, lightweight footwear
LEATHER ANTIQUITY
PG Department of Textile Science and Apparel Design,
SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
SAYALI GAIKWAD

24 C O V E R S T O R Y
M AY 2 0 2 1
LEATHER PROCESSING
VAIBHAVI KOKANE
Textile Value Chain
Introduction
In the strictest sense of the term, the
‘Leather Industry’ covers the preserv-
ing of the rawhide after the slaughter-
house and the tanneries which process
the raw skins into durable leathers.
India is the second-largest producer of
footwear in the world. In India, there is
a high earning foreign exchange and in
leather is in the top 10 sectors.
Why the leather industry is in the top
10 sectors?
World’s 20% cattle production happens
in only India, which means India is
producing maximum raw material and
in India there is maximum skill man-
power, and using upgrade technology,
international standard, etc. And that is
the reason for India's share increases
in competition.
Process of Tanning: The flowchart be-
low shows the complex process of Tan-
ning Leather
Procuring animal skin
By Salting: Animal Skin is composed
of 60-65 % water, 30-32 % protein, ap-
proximately 10 % fat, and 0.5 – 1 %
minerals. It prevents putrefaction of
the protein (collagen) from bacterial
growth. Salt removes water from the
hides and skins using a difference in
osmotic pressure. In wet salting, the
hides are heavily salted, then pressed
into packs for about 30 days. In brine-
curing, the hides are agitated in a salt-
water bath for about 16 hours. Curing
can also be accomplished by preserving
the hides and skins at very low tem-
peratures.
Pre-tanning or bean house opera-
tions
Soaking: The skins are de-haired, de-
greased desalted, and soaked in water
for six hours to two days. To prevent
damage of the skin by bacterial growth
during the soaking period, biocides
such as dithiocarbonates, 2 –thiocy-
anates, Ethylbenzothiazoline, etc. To
protect wet leathers from microbial
growth.
Liming: After soaking the hides are
treated with milk of lime supplemented
by sodium sulphide, cyanides, amines,
etc.
Unhairing and Scudding: Unhairing
agents are used such as sodium hy-
droxide, sodium hydrosulphide, cal-
cium hydrosulphide Dimethylamine,
and sodium sulfhydrate. Most of the
hair is then removed mechanically, ini-
tially with a machine and then by hand
using a dull knife a process known as
scudding.
Deliming and Bating: Depending on
the end-use of the leather, hides are
treated with enzymes to soften them,
a process called bating. Enzymes act
properly so the pH of the collagen is
brought down to a lower level so the
enzymes may act on it, in a process
known as deliming.
Pickling: Once bating is complete, the
hides and skins are treated first with
common salt (sodium chloride) and
then with sulphuric acid in case a min-
eral tanning is to be done. This process
is known as Pickling. The salt pene-
trates the hide twice as fast as the acid
and checks the ill effect of the sudden
drop of PH.
Chrome Tanning: Chromium(ll) sul-
phate and sodium bicarbonate (base)
are added to this process. Chromium(ll)
sulphate is used as a tanning agent.
Chromium(ll) sulphate dissolves to
give the hexaaquahromium (ll) cation,
which at higher pH undergoes process-
es called olation to give polychromies(ll)
compounds that are active in tanning,
being the cross-linking of the collagen
subunits. The cross-linkage of chro-
mium ions with free carboxyl groups in
the collagen. It makes the hide resist-
ant to bacteria and high temperature.
The chromium-tanned hide contains
about 2-3% by dry weight of Cr
Vegetable Tanning: Hides are kept
immersed in Tannin liquor for several
weeks in series of vats with increasing
concentration of tannins. Tannins bind
to the collagen proteins in the hide and
coat them, causing them to become
less water-soluble and more resistant
to bacterial attack. The process also
causes the hide to become more flex-
ible. The vegetable-tanned hide is not
very flexible. It is used for luggage, fur-
niture, footwear, belts, and other cloth-
ing accessories.
Procuring animal skin: The animal is
killed and skinned before the body heat
leaves the tissues.
Curing is the preservation of hides.
Curing can be performed in different
ways.

25
M AY 2 0 2 1
C O V E R S T O R Y
GLOBAL LEATHER MACHINERY EXPORT HIT HARD
BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Textile Value Chain
Leather manufacturing had always
been a procedure which was performed
manually with the help of tools. In the
recent years, machinery has taken over
the leather manufacturing industry.
Leather machinery is taking over the
leather production industry due to its
recent advances that reduce time, cost
and manpower required for leather
production.
The coronavirus pandemic had a lot of
adverse effect on the global textile in-
dustry. Leather machinery exports wit-
ness this impact globally. A subsequent
decrease was witnessed in the export of
leather machinery in the year 2020 due
to the pandemic.
China was the leading exporter of the
leather machinery in the year 2019 as
well as 2020. Its export was worth 527
million dollars in the year 2019. The
export dropped drastically in the year
2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic.
Though a reduction in the export was
witnessed, China’s global share in
leather machinery export climbed up
from 39% in 2019 to 41% in 2020.
Italy was the second largest exporter
of leather machinery in 2019 and 2020
with the export worth 394 million dol-
lars and 272 million dollars. Records
suggest that it was the top exporter for
the past 3 years from 2016-2018 but
China’s export drastically increased in
2019, while Italy’s export dropped dra-
matically. Its share in the global export
of leather machinery in the year 2020
was 32%.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, almost
all the nation’s exports dwindled in
2020. Taiwan’s export of leather ma-
chinery was one $28 million in the year
2019 due to the pandemic its export de-
creased to $76 million in 2020. Not only
the exports but even its global share
fell from 10% to 9% in the year 2020.
Turkey's contribution was worth 1% in
the global share of leather machinery
export. Turkey's global share remains
same in both the years. Its export
was worth 11 million Dollars in the
year 2019. These exports drastically
shrinked to $5 million in the year 2020.
USA was surprisingly not among the
top exporters of leather machinery. Its
export was worth $15 million and $10
million in the year 2019 and 2020, re-
spectively. Its contribution was 1% in
both years to global share.
France was the only nation that wit-
nessed a hike in export in the year
2020. Its export was worth $19 million
in 2019, in 2020 its export increased to
$19.6 million. Its contribution to the
global share was one person in the year
2019. There was a subsequent increase
in its global share in 2020 which was
2%.
Korea's export was worth $87 million
in the year 2019. There was a dramatic
decrease in its export in the year 2020
due to the pandemic. Korea's export
fell to $46 million in the year 2020. Its
global share was 7% in the year 2019.
There was a decrease in its global
share in the year 2020. Its global share
was 6% in the year 2020.
Germany's export was worth $54 mil-
lion in the year 2019. Like other na-
tions Germany also witnessed decrease
in its export in the year 2020 due to the
pandemic. Its export was worth $46
million in 2020. despite the decrease in
the export in the year 2020 Germany
witnessed a hike in its global share
from 4% in 2019 to 6% in 2020.
Hong Kong exported the leather ma-
chinery's worth $19 million in the year
2019. Its export dwindled to $8 million
in the year 2020 due to the pandemic.
Its global share remained 1% in both
the years for the same.
Though Spain was among the top ten
exporters of leather machinery, its ex-
port was word $13 million only in the
year 2019. Its export filled two $9 mil-
lion from$13 million in the earlier year
in the year 2020 due to the pandemic.
Its global share remained 1% in both
the years for leather machinery export.
The export done by other countries was
worth $83 million which was even less
than Korea in the year 2019. This ex-
port fell drastically two $55 million in
the year 2020 due to the pandemic.

M AY 2 0 2 1
26 C A R E E R G U I D A N C E
ELEVATING YOUR CAREER IN
LEATHER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
Founder, Flyy Hiigh Consultancy
NALANDA GADEY
Today Laether jackets, belts, shoes,
bags, and other accessories are a part of
everyday life. Leather is a natural long-
lasting product. Various products such
as leather shoes, leather car interiors,
leather furniture, leather handbags,
leather bags, leather wallets, leather
clothes (leather pants, jackets, gloves,
and belts), leather balls, leather, etc.
are available. Consistent with adapt-
ability to some items such as strips and
toys, interiors, luggage, musical instru-
ments, clothing tags, gift items, etc. In
addition to being used in practical use,
leather has been widely used in the
arts field. Leather has transformed into
decoration, painting and art. The abil-
ity of leather workers to turn leather
into beautiful usable ones is, in itself,
an art form. However, there are many
other hand artists who make art using
leather in different ways.
Indian Leather Market
India ranks fourth among the top ten
leather producing countries in 2020.
The second largest producer of leather
products in the world. The second larg-
est exporter of leather goods in the
world. The third largest exporter of
harnesses and harnesses. Ranks fifth
among the world’s largest exporters of
leather products and accessories. Raw
materials are readily available: India
has 20% of the world’s cattle and buf-
falo and 11% of the world’s goats. In re-
cent years, car, furniture, and aircraft
upholstery companies are demanding
fine, gravel-free flat grain leather for
maximum cutting value. Chemically
treated leather, leather, and leather
are suitable for storing them and for
use as clothing, shoes, handbags, fur-
niture, tools, and sporting goods. The
main markets for Indian leather is the
United States, the United Kingdom,
Germany, Italy, and France.
Career and Scope
The use of leather in our daily life has
exposed us to great career opportuni-
ties in design and monetization in the
field of technology. Artificial leather
approaches the look and durability of
leather at a low cost and its produc-
tion is not much more labour intensive.
Leather Technology makes good use of
leather in the engineering field dealing
with leather production, refining and
synthesis. It also describes the synthet-
ic and effective application of synthetic
leather in commercial production.
Leather Designing is one of the fast-
est growing areas in India and is part
of Fashion Designing. Leather bags,
shoes and belts in India are in high
demand in India and the international
market. As a result, they are widely ex-
ported. Designing leather products is a
daunting task, and anyone trying to do
so need to know these facts. One of the
most dynamic and demanding tasks is
today’s leather technology and leather
design. It has an immediate lucrative
career path.
Looking for Career in Leather – Re-
quired Skills
Depending on your interests and ap-
titudes, you can pursue design or en-
ter the field of production as a career.
Creativity and a sense of colour, tex-
ture, and patterns are required for de-
signing skills, while on the other hand
strong numerical skills and knowledge
of computer-aided design software.
Problem Solving Skills, Communica-
tion Ideas, Creative Approach Dedica-
tion and Enthusiasm, Entrepreneur
skills are also required.
Availability of Courses in this sector
Some Colleges and Universities offer a
variety of courses, including
Certificate programs (3 months to 1
year), Diploma programs (3 years),
Bachelor of Technology/Bachelor of De-
sign (4 years), and
Master of Engineering (2 years); both
in India and abroad countries.
Few courses are enlisted below.
Courses in Leather Technology avail-
able in India
Leather technology is one of the grow-

27
M AY 2 0 2 1
C A R E E R G U I D A N C E
ing fields of textile technology. India
has number of courses that are willing
to offer some interesting options to the
students choosing leather technology
as a career path, including:
1. Certificate Course Footwear making
Skill Training
2. Certificate Course Leather Goods &
Garments Making skill training
3. Certificate Course Shoe CAD Design
training
4. Certificate Course Goods & Gar-
ments CAD Design Training
5. Diploma in Leather Technology
6. Diploma in Leather & Fashion Tech-
nology (specialisation in Computer
Aided Shoe Design / Tanning)
7. Diploma in Leather Goods and Foot-
wear Technology
8. B. Tech Leather Technology
9. B. Tech Footwear Technology
10. M. Tech Footwear Engineering and
Management
11. M. Tech Footwear Science and En-
gineering
12. M. Tech Leather Technology
13. Ph.D. (Footwear Science & Engi-
neering)
Courses in Leather Design available
in India
Leather design is one of the fastest
growing areas of textile design. There
are a great variety of processes that
can be offered to students exploring
leather design in their careers in India:
1. Certificate Course in Leather De-
signing
2. Certificate Course in Accessories De-
sign
3. Certificate course in Footwear De-
sign
4. Diploma in Footwear Manufacture
and Design
5. B. Des. (Leather Goods & Accesso-
ries Design)
6. Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Leath-
er Design
7. Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Crafts
& Design- Soft Material Design
8. PG Diploma in Leather Design
Indian Colleges offering Leather
Technology Courses
The Indian leather industry has seen
a steady increase in exports. Want to
pursue a career as a passion for leather
design / leather technology? See a list
of several Universities where you can
start your career advancement.
1. HBTU Kanpur - Harcourt Butler
Technical University
2. Dayalbagh Educational Institute,
Agra
3. Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
4. Government Polytechnic, Mumbai
5. Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology,
Muzaffarpur
6. Alagappa College of Technology,
Chennai
7. CSIR Central Leather Research In-
stitute, Chennai
8. CMJ University, Shillong
9. Government College of Engineering
and Leather Technology (GCELT), Kol-
kata
10. Kashmir Government Polytechnic
College, Srinagar
Indian Colleges Offering Leather De-
sign
In the field of leather designing, there
are many Universities that introduce
students to world of leather design, in-
cluding:
1. National Institute of Fashion Tech-
nology, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
2. Footwear Design and Development
Institute, Noida, Mumbai, Chennai,
Kolkata
3. Government College of Engineering
and Leather Technology, Kolkata
4. Karnataka Institute of Leather
Technology, Karnataka
5. Central Footwear Training Institute,
Chennai, Agra
6. Parul Institute, Vadodara
7. Hamstech Institute of Fashion & In-
terior Design, Hyderabad
8. B D Somani Institute of Art and
Fashion Technology, Mumbai
Footwear Design are offered by 7 In-
stitutions Abroad
Footwear are the most in demand, so
there are many students trying to learn
Footwear design. There are many uni-
versities around the world that offer
courses in this area. These are:
1. Royal Melbourne Institute of Tech-
nology University, Australia
2. University of the Arts London, UK
3. De Montfort University, UK
4. Lasalle College, Canada
5. Leicester College, UK
6. Textile and Fashion Industry Train-
ing Centre, Singapore
Career Opportunities Leather Tech-
nology and Design
India, a major exporter of leather
goods, has many exporters that employ
technical and non-technical person-
nel. Leather engineers with innovative
ideas and the ability to transform these
ideas into shapes can find rewarding
jobs in the leather industry. Designers
can work with existing designers, man-
ufacturers, boutiques and more in the
industry. Through two years of work
experience, students can set up their
own production and / or marketing unit
for leather-related products.
Education in Leather Technology may
pave the way to becoming a Production
Manager Research Associate, Project
Support, CAD Designer, Quality In-
spector, Line Manager, Marketing &
Sales or even a Technical Designer
The leather design course can be
moved to the top node of career as a
designer, trend/fashion forecast, trade
analyst, trader, marketing and sales,
export trader style designer or stitch-
ery (leather and apparel).
This field is still growing, and since sal-
aries vary depending upon job demand
and many other factors, determining
the exact salary can be a bit difficult
for this exercise.

28
M AY 2 0 2 1
E D U C A T I O N
FUTURE OF DESIGN EDUCATION
CHALLENGING BUT WORTHWHILE...
SONALI BRID
Assistant Professor, ITM/ IDM
Design education relates to the broad
range of disciplines providing the plat-
form for building skills sets, profes-
sionalism and molding them to set the
stage for future development. Design
institutes have set a platform working
collaboratively to develop design minds
and practicing soft skills. Academi-
cians understand the role of a designer
which necessitates design thinking,
leading them to innovative practice
and successful delivery.
In today’s world design learning has
not limited to traditional curriculum.
It is beyond the mastering of tools
and technology. More about a deeper
understanding of new concepts which
are visually stimulating, technologi-
cally challenging, and sustainable. The
unexpected transition to the digital
platform needed a no-break continu-
ation in a limited period, but it was a
realization stage for self-development
and upgradation. Many short-duration
online learning programs appeared fo-
cusing on specialized topics and skill-
building. This has given global access
to specialized courses which even edu-
cators were dreaming to opt. Design in-
stitutes now have to revise their strate-
gy assuring that they are delivering an
uncompromised syllabus with globally
recognized challenges.
Truly it is a challenging phase for de-
sign educators to tackle emerging prob-
lems during the pandemic. Students
are missing their big classrooms, huge
resources, happening campus life, and
exciting design culture. The sudden
transition phase of virtual classrooms
with limited or no resources have
questioned the effectiveness of the
program to some extent. On the other
hand, these digital classrooms have
also boosted experimentation and ex-
ploration which is an integral part of
some design courses like fashion and
communication. These design fields
have no set path and can follow mul-
tiple pathways. Challenges were set
following current industrial needs and
complications to achieve despite sev-
eral conditions. Moving forward with
uncertainty design education can be
more effective and experiential with
cross-disciplinary challenges. Program
delivery can be broader than the rou-
tine curriculum as well as effectively
contributing to design learning.
The next thing in design education is
a modern learning approach with a va-
riety of pedagogies, a lot of formal and
informal discussions debates, and quiz
with mentors. The more challenging
task needs to be set with self-initiat-
ed explorative learning. The research
phase can be broader by opting for al-
ternative techniques. An elaborate con-
ceptual stage can be explored consider-
ing the efficiency of design.
Technical learning can have a lot of
planned and pre-recorded demos but
challenging activities which can be
more flexible and experiential. Stu-
dents can be given access to other
digital resources like Journals, publi-
cations, or digital libraries. There can
be more worldwide guest interactions
which can expand student’s thinking
and design perspective. Channelized
company tie-ups can be initiated to
pull in employment opportunities not
bothering about the duration of em-
ployment because these industry briefs
will have a positive impact and can
give more hands-on experience which
is beyond studio classes. Many can fo-
cus on studio learning practices and
the process of making will need men-
toring and assistance with some offline
interactions. Specialized facilities can
slowly be resume back with socially
distance learning.
Students can take advantage of the
digitally available resources which can
be accessed anytime from anywhere in
the world. There can be a lot of interac-
tions exchanging social thoughts and
views regarding ethical practices. One
has seen the benefit of Digital class-
room interactions which has enabled
students to get well versed with vir-
tual space. Different presentation plat-
forms can be opted by both students
and tutors. Optimistic feedback and
critique sessions can be practiced often
for project building and development.
Assignments can be evaluated based
on the risk taken and creative thoughts
behind them.
Imagining the long-term effect of this
pandemic the future learning is going
to be remote learning to some extent
but will be more organized enjoyable
with your pace courses. Overall, there
is a new opportunity to create an edu-
cational experience with hybrid learn-
ing.

29
M AY 2 0 2 1
H R F O C U S
EMPATHY – A LESS VALUED
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCY
RAJIV MISRA
R Square Consulting
Recently while reading an article, I un-
derwent multiple emotions from disbe-
lief to shock and finally to disgust. The
article narrated the story of a company
that sent a communication to a few
hundred employees to attend an online
talk on Covid 19. When the employees
logged in, they could see a slide that
simply read “Covid 19”. After 15 mins
a junior member of the HR team logged
in and said one sentence- “Due to Covid
19 you are fired” and logged off the call.
I tried to put myself in the employees’
shoes and gauge the emotions which
could be going through their minds dur-
ing the wait and post the one-sentence
firing. From despondency to depres-
sion, all of us have been in the grip of
a range of emotions over the last year
that has led us to be emotionally and
psychologically drained. Whether it is
anxiety about the present and future
income or about how our loved ones are
going to be impacted by the pandemic
there is an undercurrent of uneasiness
in the environment which is palpable.
As human beings, we crave certainty
and order in our lives, which mostly
leads to our need for more and more
information. To be asked to leave their
jobs without any information about
notice period details, severance pay,
outplacement support, or benefits con-
tinuation must have been like being
set adrift in a stormy sea with no life-
jacket.
The way the company chose to commu-
nicate this news through a junior HR
team member said much more about the
leadership of the company than its web-
site, the vision document, or the values
described in the employee handbook.
Leadership is what is experienced by
others and not what is talked about in
various company documents.
The incident made it clear that the
company leadership lacked empathy,
a critical, but oft undervalued compe-
tency.
My discomfort was less with the de-
cision of asking people to leave and
more with the way it was done, with
no respect shown to employees. We of-
ten come across a notion that a Leader
can rally people around with charisma
and drive. Empathy is not something
that comes to our mind when we think
of leaders. However, I feel that it is the
most critical competency to be a great
leader as leadership is about leading
people and you cannot lead people if
you do not understand what they are
feeling and going through.
It is a tough time for business and
tough decisions need to be taken. So,
if a tough decision means that a leader
must ask people to leave, then it needs
to be done. The question is, how do you
communicate this decision to the af-
fected team member?
As business owners, many of my SME
clients have sought my suggestion on
how to handle a situation of having to
cut the workforce. So here are few sug-
gestions on what the leader should do:
• The first thing is to communicate
transparently. Let the employees
know the real situation and as far
as cash flows are concerned and try
to find a solution jointly. In case,
you feel that the junior members of
the team lack the maturity to con-
tribute to the decision-making, call
the mid and senior-level employees
for this session.
• Look at layoffs as the last option. Is
it possible to cut pay by 30% rather
than asking 30% of the team to
leave?
• If lay-offs must be done, the sen-
ior-most leader in the company
should make the communication.
Give reasons, provide information
about notice period, severance pay,
possible time by when re-hire may
be possible, outplacement support,
etc. Please take their questions
and answer them to the best of
your ability. If people get abusive
or vent, have the humility to ac-
cept that without showing any an-
ger or discomfort.
I was told a long time back by my sen-
ior in the army “People don’t remember
what you told them, but they never for-
get how you made them feel”. If you as
a leader make the people feel humili-
ated, small, and not valued, they will
remember it for the rest of their lives.
And they will talk about it to friends,
acquaintances, and anyone who would
care to listen. And in today’s hypercon-
nected world, they would also post it
on social media, making an irreparable
dent in your reputation as a Leader

Textile Value Chain- May 2021

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