S K Leathers

We've been at 22 Dharavi for a long time now. If you know this area, you know how busy it gets with all the workshops and people moving around. Our space is small but we make it work somehow. S K Leathers is basically just us sitting here every day, cutting and stitching different types of leather pieces. Sometimes it gets really hot in the afternoons, especially during the summer months, but that's just how it is. We have stacks of hides piled up in the corners. It smells like raw leather and glue in here most of the time. My father started this and now I just keep it going because it's what I know. We don't have a fancy showroom or anything like that. Most people find us just by walking through the narrow lanes. It’s hard work on the hands. You get calluses after a few years of doing this. We use old sewing machines that make a lot of noise but they still work fine for what we need. Sometimes the electricity goes out and we just sit outside on the steps for a bit until it comes back. We don't really do much advertising or have a big sign. People just know we are here at number 22. It’s a simple life. We wake up, open the shutters, and start working on whatever order is on the bench. By the time evening comes, we're tired but the work gets done. That is pretty much how things go here at our shop.