KOCHI: The Kolkata-based Samriddh Burman is on a quest to teach people that jute is not cheap as materials go and you can spin the most beautiful handiwork with the fabric in hand. And what better way to prove your point than create personalised handmade bags, with burlap, the finer of the jute materials, found commonly in West Bengal.
Samriddh who founded The Burlap People, a brand that is fast emerging as one of the finest among the organic jute bag manufacturers in the country, was in Kochi at the Makers’ Collective recently to launch ‘The All Burlap’ bag, their first in their series of vegan bags.
“Our speciality lay in designing utility bags of all shapes and sizes. Though we are focused on ensuring that our products are eco-friendly, till recently, we had our limitations as we used leather at the base and other areas to ensure the bag’s sustainability. It has been after a lot of effort that we were able to bring out the complete burlap bag, with 99 per cent jute material. This is a big step towards a more eco-friendly future,” said Samriddh.
He says there is a need to ensure that making negligible use of leather is a conscious effort since tanneries in the country are not well-equipped to treat the waste that is produced from tanning leather. “There are many manufacturers of leather products and most of them are not able to treat the chemical waste that is produced. Of course, there are exceptions like Tata International which have very large tanneries, but small-scale manufacturers don’t have the means,” he said. Samriddh is also quick to add that vegan leather, which has found its space in the market, is harmful and contains large amounts of plastic composite which is synthetic and takes a lot of years to degrade.
The beginning
The idea to start The Burlap People originated in Samriddh’s head after he arrived back to his home town in Kolkata from the US. He had just finished his college at Iowa and the community building exercises and efforts taken by the college had instilled in him a sense of responsibility. “This is one of the reasons why I chose to head a start-up which focused on organic material. The other, which was more closer to my heart, was the fact that my family, starting from my grandfather was in the jute business for many years. Though I worked there for some time, it didn’t appeal to me completely because I wanted to make my jute materials more aesthetic and cool. This is why I started accessing the burlap material and started creating vintage-looking utility bags with it,” he said.
When he started out, there was only him and the master craftsman who had years of experience designing such bags. The two other core members are Karuna Parikh and Rewant Lokesh.“We have artisans whom we work with. Our USP is that we are constantly in touch with our consumers and their needs,” he said.The Burlap People focus on different kinds of bags, including travel bags, backpacks, weekend bags, fanny bags, camera bags, yoga mat bags, and musical instrument bags, among others.