Today Leather jackets, belts, shoes, bags, and other accessories are a part of everyday life. Leather is a natural long-lasting product. Various products such as leather shoes, leather car interiors, leather furniture, leather handbags, leather bags, leather wallets, leather clothes (leather pants, jackets, gloves, and belts), leather balls, leather, etc. are available. Consistent with adaptability to some items such as strips and toys, interiors, luggage, musical instruments, clothing tags, gift items, etc. In addition to being used in practical use, leather has been widely used in the arts field. Leather has transformed into decoration, painting and art. The ability of leather workers to turn leather into beautiful usable ones is, in itself, an art form. However, there are many other hand artists who make art using leather in different ways.
Indian Leather Market
India ranks fourth among the top ten leather producing countries in 2020. The second largest producer of leather products in the world. The second largest exporter of leather goods in the world. The third largest exporter of harnesses and harnesses. Ranks fifth among the world’s largest exporters of leather products and accessories. Raw materials are readily available: India has 20% of the world’s cattle and buffalo and 11% of the world’s goats. In recent years, car, furniture, and aircraft upholstery companies are demanding fine, gravel-free flat grain leather for maximum cutting value. Chemically treated leather, leather, and leather are suitable for storing them and for use as clothing, shoes, handbags, furniture, tools, and sporting goods. The main markets for Indian leather is the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France.
Career and Scope
The use of leather in our daily life has exposed us to great career opportunities in design and monetization in the field of technology. Artificial leather approaches the look and durability of leather at a low cost and its production is not much more labour intensive. Leather Technology makes good use of leather in the engineering field dealing with leather production, refining and synthesis. It also describes the synthetic and effective application of synthetic leather in commercial production.
Leather Designing is one of the fastest growing areas in India and is part of Fashion Designing. Leather bags, shoes and belts in India are in high demand in India and the international market. As a result, they are widely exported. Designing leather products is a daunting task, and anyone trying to do so need to know these facts. One of the most dynamic and demanding tasks is today’s leather technology and leather design. It has an immediate lucrative career path.
Looking for Career in Leather – Required Skills
Depending on your interests and aptitudes, you can pursue design or enter the field of production as a career. Creativity and a sense of colour, texture, and patterns are required for designing skills, while on the other hand strong numerical skills and knowledge of computer-aided design software. Problem Solving Skills, Communication Ideas, Creative Approach Dedication and Enthusiasm, Entrepreneur skills are also required.
Availability of Courses in this sector
Some Colleges and Universities offer a variety of courses, including
Certificate programs (3 months to 1 year), Diploma programs (3 years),
Bachelor of Technology/Bachelor of Design (4 years), and
Master of Engineering (2 years); both in India and abroad countries.
Few courses are listed below
Courses in Leather Technology available in India
Leather technology is one of the growing fields of textile technology. India has number of courses that are willing to offer some interesting options to the students choosing leather technology as a career path, including:
- Certificate Course Footwear making Skill Training
- Certificate Course Leather Goods & Garments Making skill training
- Certificate Course Shoe CAD Design training
- Certificate Course Goods & Garments CAD Design Training
- Diploma in Leather Technology
- Diploma in Leather & Fashion Technology (specialisation in Computer Aided Shoe Design / Tanning)
- Diploma in Leather Goods and Footwear Technology
- B. Tech Leather Technology
- B. Tech Footwear Technology
- M. Tech Footwear Engineering and Management
- M. Tech Footwear Science and Engineering
- M. Tech Leather Technology
- Ph.D. (Footwear Science & Engineering)
Courses in Leather Design available in India
Leather design is one of the fastest growing areas of textile design. There are a great variety of processes that can be offered to students exploring leather design in their careers in India:
- Certificate Course in Leather Designing
- Certificate Course in Accessories Design
- Certificate course in Footwear Design
- Diploma in Footwear Manufacture and Design
- B. Des. (Leather Goods & Accessories Design)
- Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Leather Design
- Bachelor of Design (B. Des) in Crafts & Design- Soft Material Design
- PG Diploma in Leather Design
Indian Colleges offering Leather Technology Courses
The Indian leather industry has seen a steady increase in exports. Want to pursue a career as a passion for leather design / leather technology? See a list of several Universities where you can start your career advancement.
- HBTU Kanpur – Harcourt Butler Technical University
- Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra
- Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
- Government Polytechnic, Mumbai
- Muzaffarpur Institute of Technology, Muzaffarpur
- Alagappa College of Technology, Chennai
- CSIR Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai
- CMJ University, Shillong
- Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology (GCELT), Kolkata
- Kashmir Government Polytechnic College, Srinagar
Indian Colleges Offering Leather Design
In the field of leather designing, there are many Universities that introduce students to world of leather design, including:
- National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
- Footwear Design and Development Institute, Noida, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata
- Government College of Engineering and Leather Technology, Kolkata
- Karnataka Institute of Leather Technology, Karnataka
- Central Footwear Training Institute, Chennai, Agra
- Parul Institute, Vadodara
- Hamstech Institute of Fashion & Interior Design, Hyderabad
- B D Somani Institute of Art and Fashion Technology, Mumbai
Footwear Design are offered by 7 Institutions Abroad
Footwear are the most in demand, so there are many students trying to learn Footwear design. There are many universities around the world that offer courses in this area. These are:
- Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia
- University of the Arts London, UK
- De Montfort University, UK
- Lasalle College, Canada
- Leicester College, UK
- Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre, Singapore
Career Opportunities Leather Technology and Design
India, a major exporter of leather goods, has many exporters that employ technical and non-technical personnel. Leather engineers with innovative ideas and the ability to transform these ideas into shapes can find rewarding jobs in the leather industry. Designers can work with existing designers, manufacturers, boutiques and more in the industry. Through two years of work experience, students can set up their own production and / or marketing unit for leather-related products.
An education in Leather Technology may pave the way to becoming a Production Manager Research Associate, Project Support, CAD Designer, Quality Inspector, Line Manager, Marketing & Sales or even a Technical Designer
The leather design course can be moved to the top node of career as a designer, trend/fashion forecast, trade analyst, trader, marketing and sales, export trader style designer or stitchery (leather and apparel).
This field is still growing, and since salaries vary depending upon job demand and many other factors, determining the exact salary can be a bit difficult for this exercise.
Reference
- Top 10 Largest Leather Producing Countries 2020 | Top Leather Exporters & Importers (bizvibe.com)
- https://www.wboc.com/story/43266566/leather-goods-market-survey-2021-top-countries-data-industry-size-future-trends-growth-key-factors-demand-business-share-sales-amp-income-manufacture
- Leather Industry in India – Export, Production, & Market Size (investindia.gov.in)
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/65196776.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
Author:
Nalanda Gadey
Founder, Flyy Hiigh Consultancy Services