Chennai-based Veev's Spring Summer collection offers exquisitely crafted leather bags

A delicate coral pink-hued tote caught our attention immediately — when we got a sneak peek of the Chennai-based brand, Veev’s new Spring Summer collection of leather bags earlier this week. Reminiscent of the vintage basket weave, the handcrafted leather bag is light and stylish, perfect for a resort getaway this summer. All set to showcase at Amethyst Folly tomorrow, for a day, the holiday breezy feel is all encompassing in the collection that is aptly called Beyond The Shores and has alluring shades that conjure up foamy aqua seas, sandy shores and summer soirées. From functional chestnut coloured backpack bags and minty green handbags to dainty little pink phone clutches and mustard purses, all the creations are woven but with subtle creative twists, wefts and warps that give every piece a unique touch.

We catch up with the third generation entrepreneur, Prakash Venkatesan, CEO Veev, who talks to us about how his family has been in the leather business for nearly 100 years and how Veev was launched in 2010 and since then has evolved with the times, besides having showcased at the LFW in 2012. “My grandfather has traded with the East India Company before independence!” says Prakash, explaining the rich heritage the brand boasts, and adds that Veev was founded with the aspiration to weave the enchanting techniques of the Coromandel Coast into exquisite products. Leather weaving continues to be the signature craft showcased in their collections, though there has been a shift from the strong French influence in the beginning where the bags were more structured as opposed to the easy, casual and flowy silhouettes featured now. “In the beginning, we placed our bags in boutiques across the world and found a robust market in Spain, UK, F rance and Italy and later in Japan and USA too, for our styles and the quality we of fered,” shares Prakash, who added that they understood the global market and design ethos as they have manufactured leather bags for some of the world’s top labels like Armani, Balenciaga, Bally, Boss, Coach, Celine, Chanel, Chloe, Christian Louboutin and Dior, among many others.

However, the pandemic made them rethink their business strategy and they created an online platform, keeping pace with the digital trend. As we run our hands over the intricately braided outside of a shoulder bag, we marvel at the impeccable finish of the inside too, and are told that these bags are ‘made by a strong community of local women weavers; each bag is an ode to the progressive women of the world — untouched by machines’and featuring vegetable tanned leather. What next? “We have plans of working on textile bags and other textures in leather, next year,” promises Prakash as he signs off.

Priced from INR 5,700 to INR 35,000. Beyond The Shores collection will be showcased at The Folly, Amethyst, on April 30 and will be available on veevbags.com

— Sabrina Rajan