As a child, artist-designer Sudheer Rajbhar couldn’t comprehend why he and his father were made to sit on the floor in his village, while the so-called ‘upper caste’ men occupied the sofas. As he grew older and recognised the insidious hold of casteism on society, he made a quiet vow to transform his pain into purpose.
From that resolve emerged Chamar Studio, a name that boldly reclaims dignity and redefines identity. “It’s not just a name,” says Sudheer. “It’s a platform where craftsmanship transcends caste.”
The brand was born in 2017, in the aftermath of the 2015 beef ban that left thousands in the Muslim community unemployed. “I began working with leather artisans, primarily from Dalit and Muslim communities, who had lost their livelihoods overnight as a direct result of the ban,” says Sudheer. “When the government’s 2015 prohibition in Maharashtra cut off access to raw animal leather, generations of skilled craftspeople suddenly found themselves without work. I felt the need to empower them through contemporary designs and vegan material.”
Reclaiming dignity through design
Sudheer’s Dharavi based brand that designs vegan bags, belts, shoes, furniture and home accessories stands as a movement as much as a brand, a collective of pride, protest, and purpose. It redefines the word Chamar (refers to leather worker or tanner in Sanskrit), once used as a slur for those who worked with leather. The 39-year-old has turned it into a symbol of resilience and artistry.
Sudheer and his team of seven artisans create leather-free bags using recycled, cruelty-free materials. Their primary material, caucho, is a rubber derived from trees in India, a sustainable alternative to traditional leather. The team meticulously fuses canvas mesh with recycled rubber, crafting a texture that mirrors leather’s look and feel while staying true to their ethics. “We wanted to create something that doesn’t just look sustainable, it embodies sustainability,” Sudheer says.
From the margins to Miami
Chamar Studio’s bold designs made global headlines when pop star Rihanna sat on a sofa crafted by Chamar Studio at the Miami Design Exhibition. “She didn’t know our story,” Sudheer says. “She chose it because of its unique texture and form. But for me, what mattered was that the people who made it. The ones who sat by the roadside had created something that the world called luxury.” That moment was transformative. “Everyone started talking about us after Rihanna,” he says.
Turning pain into purpose
Born and raised in Mumbai, Sudheer traces his roots to Kheta Sarai, Uttar Pradesh, where his caste name, chamar, was used as an insult. “My father was the first educated man from our community in the entire region,” he says. “Yet, when we visited our village, he’d sit on the floor before upper-caste men. When I asked why, he said, ‘Beta, ye Thakur hai.’ I couldn’t understand it then. Later, I realised that it was systemic humiliation.” That realisation turned into rage, and then resolve. “The word Chamar comes from Sanskrit — it simply means someone who works with skin. How did a profession rooted in skill become an insult? I decided to make it my strength, my identity, my brand.”
A model rooted in equality
Chamar Studio functions on a profit-sharing model, returning up to 50% of its income to artisans through the Chamar Foundation. This reimagines fashion economics by valuing the hands behind the craft, not just the designer’s name. “In most of the fashion world, artisans earn daily wages while brands make millions. I wanted to flip that model,” Sudheer says.
Reviving lost crafts, reimagining India
Looking ahead, Sudheer plans to collaborate with artisans from Shekhawati, Rajasthan, known for their exquisite work with leather and metal. His vision: to establish a contemporary craft school, where artisans from across India can share their heritage and reimagine it in a modern context. “We have the skills, the art, the heritage,” he says. “But we’ve forgotten how to value it. Imagine bringing together India’s finest craft traditions and presenting them on a global stage as contemporary, bold, and unapologetically ours.”
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