From ledger to leather: The story of a 30-year-old Kolhapuri artiste

Aditya Kadam and his wife Supriya are the third generation to run the family’s store, Navyug, in Kolhapur’s chappal market

At a time when luxury labels continue to sell Indian design pieces without credit or context, this 30-year-old leatherwork artiste from Kolhapur has traded accounting spreadsheets for handcrafted soles, choosing to continue the generational craft he grew up around, taught by his father and other local artists. Sagar Kamble is one of the many leather artistes employed at Navyug, a leather goods store in the chappal market of Kolhapur, located just a few hundred metres away from the famous Mahalaxmi Temple.

The temple has always been an important stop on the Shakti Peeth temple pilgrimage, but Kolhapur's chappal lane became the talking point of the fashion circuit last month, when Prada showcased leather chappals strikingly similar to the traditional Kolhapuri chappals without credit to the original. Thirty-four-year-old Aditya Kadam, who runs Navyug with his wife Supriya, says this is not Kolhapur's first brush with high fashion - technical teams of couture houses have been known to visit the market even before the show and the ensuing backlash.

Stores like Navyug are like mini-institutes for younger artistes, who can learn from the senior artisans

Kadam has no qualms with inspiration; in fact, the Prada controversy was good advertising for them, he says, but due credit is important as it helps sustain the businesses and the style, which has been worn since the 13th century. As it is generational stores like Kadam's (started by his grandfather more than 65 years ago) that serve as mini institutes where young artists like Kamble (and his 28-year-old brother) hone skills with help from senior artistes, such as his late father, who also made pieces for Navyug.

Ours is a home of artistes," says Kamble, "So right after I finished Class 10, I started learning the craft from my father. I was naturally inclined to learn and fall in love with the art despite my studies, as that is what we grew up around. I pursued my BCom degree while working with my father at home, and even had an accounting job for a year. But I never developed a liking for the job, like I had for making Kolhapuris. There wasn't an opportunity to scale my work at the job, and improve my skills much."

Sagar Kamble, 30, learnt the craft from his father and grew to love the tranquillity it brought

With his skill, Kamble now has no hurdles in life in terms of meeting targets or deadlines: "I have no targets here. In fact, I am expected to work in tranquillity to make the best, intricate pieces. The more peacefully you work, the better pieces you produce and earn more profits too." The starting price for women's chappals is R700, and R1000 for men's chappals, he adds. The prices can go up to Rs 2500 for women and Rs 8000 for men, depending on the intricacy of the design.

Kamble learned to make Kolhapuris and other footwear from his father, but now also knows how to make mobile covers, belts, belts for prosthetics, cash bags, wallets, and pouches. His latest creation? Gun cases for cops. All this, in five years of working at Navyug. "With Kolhapuri artistes, generational crafts are not guarded within the family but passed on to everyone in the next generation for the society's and the craft's betterment."

This clock made by Kadam's father still hangs in Navyug, paying homage to the history of both the family and the Kolhapuri craft

Simple stitched Kolhapuri chappals take about three days to make by hand, and intricate ones take about 15 days. And it's not just men who make the footwear. The delicate leather braids that complete a Kolhapuri are made by women who, Kamble says, are faster than men with the details. "It's always been a home-based venture for us; my mother too does the braiding and even intricate stitching. Any work at home, when done together, is faster," says Kamble.

The Dhor samaj specialises in tanning, and material is bought per kilo for the pieces, says Kamble. Thinner leather strips are used for the intricate braided detailing on the strap. "Orders come and are made in lots. Footwear sizes for men go from 6 to 11, and 4 to 10 for women, so parts for each size are cut as per requirement. Kolhapuris come in many shapes, and the cutting is then done by hand for different sections. Once the women make the intricate details, the men then work on attaching the strap, base, and do the fittings according to size. It gets a final round of stitching and adjustment to meet the size," he explains.

Shahu chappal and Women's chappal

The different types of Kolhapuris include Kurundwadi, Kapashi (delicate and broad strapped) and Shahu chappal (named after the most famous royal patron of the craft, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj). "These are named after the villages where the craftsmen first developed the particular design, today these standard styles are made across the district," says Kamble.

While Kamble and his brother are happy to continue the craft, the newer generation isn't keen to pursue the time-consuming work, he says. Material rates are going higher by the day too. Kamble, who has a five-year-old son, doesn't blame the next generation for showing less interest as there are no institutes or practical centres where they can go and learn.

"Only a karigar can teach karigari. One needs to sit down with them [next generation], and spend time to cultivate interest and foster appreciation. It takes time to develop interest and learn anything, especially with handicrafts. You won't appreciate the beauty until you learn the process and make it," says Kamble, who gets to learn from senior artistes at Navyug.

It's a collaborative process; the artistes rely on each other's skills to develop new products just by looking at photos and videos. Kamble envisions a craft school where Kolhapur's senior karigars can teach new kids, so they can encourage more millennials and GenZ like his brother and him. It can also be a new avenue of employment for senior artistes, he says.

"Our motto is that quality leathercrafts continue to be associated with Kolhapur. Not just Prada, machine copies are sold under brands in India too. That is advertising for us, but at least credit the craft so the artisans benefit from the visibility too."

Rs 700
Starting price of hand-stitched pair of women's Kolhapuris

03
No of days it takes to make a basic pair

15
No of days taken for intricate designs