Crafting bespoke leather goods, Delhi-based contemporary luxury brand Nappa Dori has emerged as a company that caters to a global audience. Rooted in Indian craftsmanship, the brand offers a unique blend of artisanal sensibilities and contemporary detail-oriented designs. It is helmed by founder and creative director Gautam Sinha, whose love for leather is mirrored in his minimalist designs. With five flagship stores in India, one in the United Kingdom, and a destination store in Maldives, Nappa Dori has managed to expand over the last 11 years, representing values of Indian heritage on an international forefront. In this interview, we speak to Sinha about the brand’s journey and what they are looking forward to next. Excerpts…
What core philosophy have you followed that has been a key differentiator in an already-saturated leather market?
We did not want to make too many things but a few good things, maintaining a very minimal design philosophy when it came to our product range, doing classic designs with a Scandinavian aesthetic but still maintaining our Indian roots. This is what gave us a distinctive signature in an overly-saturated market segment.
How does Dori Living align with Nappa Dori’s identity?
Nappa Dori has a very strong DNA when it comes to its design language and that reflects in every element of our business; not only in the products but also the way the stores are designed, how the customer experience is, and it also resonates with our cafe and the food. Clean minimal design with a strong take on functionality. And I feel, Dori Living is a reflection of all those elements. We have always had people come to our stores and actually ask us how they can buy the fixtures of the store. So, for us it was a very gradual brand extension. Living spaces are a true example of one’s personality, and with Dori Living we have tried to have that connection with our clientele.
How has your brand vision evolved over all these years?
I feel we have evolved in terms of our brand offering. With our F&B cafe [Café Dori in Dhan Mill Compound, Chhatarpur] and further expanding to Dori Living, we have expanded to new realms of design. But to be honest, our core philosophy about design has stayed the same since the beginning. We focus on clean design aesthetics, be it handbags you carry or the food you eat at our cafe. We have an emotional connection with our patrons, by having a sense of ownership, not only to the product but to the brand itself.
How do you plan to place Nappa Dori on the world map?
Well we are still in, what I call, an incubation phase of our journey. Brands are not created overnight especially the ones which are world renowned. We are young in that aspect. But we do have big plans for the brand, I think it is high time India had a truly international brand with stores in multiple countries, and we aim to be just that. Currently, we have stores in the United Kingdom and soon will open our store in Dubai, but we still have a long way to go. We want to be known as representing India and its craftsmanship to the world and stand at power with most international brands.
What are you looking forward to next?
A COVID-free world and for us to grow into a household name in the design world. We are looking forward to opening our biggest store outside the country in Dubai this February.