Launched a month ago in Chennai, leather label THOL π marries traditional Indian aesthetics with modern versatility to create a line of sleek handbags and accessories. Creative and production head Deepti Shyam says, “As the name suggests ‘THOL’ and ‘pi’are derived from the native Tamil language. While Thol means leather, ‘pi’means bag. We wanted to have an Indian name unlike many of the indigenous brands available in India. We felt the “π” symbol would add an international flavour to it. We even have Indian names for all our styles, like Kavya, Hasini, Advait etc.” Chennai native Deepti (35) is at the helm of the new brand.
Although the idea of opening a new brand was conceptualised way back in 2014, it was executed only a month ago. “My husband Shyam (Vishwanathan) comes from a leather (manufacturing/processing) background. Their family has been in this business for the last six decades. We always aspired to launch our own brand for the domestic market in India and we’re so happy to introduce THOL π!” Deepti, an MBA from Symbiosis (Pune), tells us how most of the high-quality leather in India is exported to Europe and this provided them with the impetus to start an affordable yet stylish line of leather bags and accessories. The family-run enterprise, which also promotes the Maplai chain of restaurants in Chennai, launched THOL π by creating a retail space for their bags in the lounge of their ECR outlet. “Our handbags are completely made by hand, without any use of industrial machinery, except for a simple sewing machine, which is mostly used for the fine finishing of the product. Everything else is in the hands of our skilled artisans, who bring the utmost commitment and experience to make our bags that are so perfectly finished and beautiful that it will never go unnoticed,” says Deepti.
Expect well-crafted leather totes, sling bags, laptop bags, wallets, passport holders and small leather goods for the home, including newspaper holders and trays. The colour palette is predominantly earthy tans and blacks but also has whites, yellows and blues. She explains, “We do not follow a seasonal collection. Instead, we have a limited range with the flexibility of adding new designs and colours on a monthly basis. So you can see new designs and colours being launched every month. Inspiration is drawn from diverse sources such as art, exhibitions, fairs and vintage designs influencing colours, shapes, styles and fabrication.” Also retailing via their Facebook page, they have plans of soon roping in two other Maplai outlets in Chennai for showcasing THOL π products.
Their online sales will commence by mid-August. `450 onwards. Details: facebook.com/THOL