Canton Leather Collections Pvt. Ltd.

Canton Leather Collections Pvt. Ltd. is based in Rajarghat, North Tangra. If you know this part of Kolkata, you know it’s the heart of the leather trade. The streets are narrow and the smell of raw hides is something that stays with you. We’ve been working with leather for a long time, and our small factory is tucked away in a quiet corner of the neighborhood. It’s a very hands-on job. We have heavy-duty machines for stitching through thick leather and large tables where we lay out the skins to check for marks or holes. The lighting is a bit dim in some parts of the building, but the master cutters have been doing this so long they could probably do it with their eyes shut. We make bags, belts, and other small leather goods. It’s dusty work and your hands are always stained by the end of the day. We don't have a marketing team; we just deal with the same wholesalers we’ve known for twenty years. When the rains come, the streets in Tangra often flood, so we have to keep all our stock on high shelves. It’s not a glamorous job, but there is a certain pride in taking a rough piece of leather and turning it into something useful. We just keep our heads down and try to finish our daily quota before the sun goes down.