Hidesign

Nowadays, in place of the one erstwhile functional bag, we have a dozen of them, all for different occasions – hand bags, tote bags, clutches, purses, satchels, hobos and whatnot. I’m pretty sure there are bags designed specifically to be carried while going 'bag shopping', too. Hence it wasn't long before some entrepreneur Indian decided he wanted a piece of the leather bag pie, and so was born the Pondicherry-based Hidesign.

The store at Somajiguda has a classy atmosphere to it. Very minimalist, akin to its logo, it houses the bare minimum required for a shopping experience, and little else. Three walls of their product line, with precisely focused lighting – that's it. Even their product line comes across as modest. Not much variety to choose from - just the most basic of laptop bags, handbags and leather jackets. A few reds, oranges and maroons break the monotonous brown, and peak through in a vain attempt to give it that trendy touch, but fail miserably.

But what little they do have, is of a quality that is unmatched. Hand-crafted genuine leather, matured with immaculate care and stitched by hand; they are made to last half a score lifetimes. All this comes at a steep price, though - anything from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 6,000 for a decent bag. Nevertheless, worth a definite look see.