Nowadays the main concern is the use of animal skin/leather for making accessories such as bags and shoes. On the other hand, essential substitutes of leather – leatherette, polyurethane, and polyvinyl chloride leather – are adding to the ever-increasing non-biodegradable waste load of the world.
This dilemma has given rise to the concept of “slaughter-free leather” (leather sourced from animals who have died due to natural causes) and ethical tanneries.
Keeping this in mind, Aanchal Mittal has initiated a startup named ‘Brandless’.
The inception of Brandless took place in 2014, but the operations were formally launched in 2015.
“Each product is designed keeping functionality as a priority. We design products to make daily life more organised. However, we pay equal attention to the aesthetics and strike a balance between the two,” says Mittal.
Brandless has come up with exotic leather products – its primary product line comprises travel gear and accessories and it offers a niche line of duffel bags, backpacks, laptop bags, satchels, and other small leather goods like pencil holders, charger wraps, bookmarks, earphones protecting holders. The price points range between $2.81 (INR 200) and $254 (INR 18K).
Brandless today has an average ticket size of $49.13 (INR 3,500) per month with a 35% repeat customer rate.
The startup caters to both men and women in the age group of 25-50 years. The products are available through its website as well as other e-commerce platforms. About 70% of Brandless products are sold on its website and the remaining 30% through other channels. The products are also available at select stores in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Brandless ensures that it sources leather from ethical tanneries. “The leather we use is a by-product of animals who are not killed for their skin,” says Mittal.
