From Worn to Wonderful: The story of the Cobbler, India’s first online shoe repair brand
Written by Hina Siddiqui, arts professional, transmedia storyteller and cuddle connoisseur who writes comics, games and newsletters; in collaboration with Ranjit, founder of The Cobbler
Most times I write Spotlights, because there is something that fascinates me about a small business and the people who run it. It usually involves first hand experience. Sometimes, however, I have to be dragged kicking and screaming, often by Ragini, to look at an intrepid human venture and the commitment it takes to stray off the beaten path.
Such is the case with the Cobbler.
One of the karigars at The Cobbler working on repairing a Coach handbag.
Now some of you, especially if you are based in Pune and have a penchant for leather bags, shoes and what have you, may have heard of the Cobber Pune. It is, after all, one of the only 4 or 5 services in the whole country specializing in the repair and restoration of luxury leather goods. From a local novelty when it started in 2014 to a trusted brand with services extending to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Bengaluru and beyond, the Cobbler has gone a long way into reviving and modernizing the art of leather repair. But the story behind it is far more; and less; typical than one would imagine.
Probably Relevant Side Note: Leather, Caste and India: I can’t do justice to talking about the socio-cultural, economic and historical context of the leatherworking community, except humbly acknowledge that caste and associated discrimination are a far bigger problem in India than a lot of us understand. I hope to update this section soon with opinions and insights from those who see the issues far more clearly than me. Until then, do look through the Leather Archive of India run by Foundation Chamar to learn more, and perhaps read Dwarka Prasad’s memoir “Ek Mochi ka Adbi-Jindaginama / A Rebellious Cobbler” now translated into English by Dr. Amritpal Kaur, available through Panther’s Paw Publications.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure: Ranjit and I also spoke about caste right off the bat. He told me that while he does not belong to the community, he trained with them and many are still associated with the Cobbler.
The story of the Cobbler, or the Cobbler Pune as it was initially known; starts with Ranjit. In typical Indian middle class fashion, he completed his mechanical engineering, followed by an MBA in 2012. That’s where the deviation from the norm began. Following his education, Ranjit had no desire to do a job. And no, he did not want to take up a career in acting or filmmaking either. He instead, wanted to do business, something that his family was not at all well-versed in. But hey, that’s where having a business degree comes in handy, I suppose. See, Ranjit’s story is not about having a passion and chasing it down into something lucrative with talent and networking skills. It’s about doggedly researching the market, identifying a need and then systematically working on providing a convenient solution for it.
Ranjit identified pretty early on that there was no shoe-repair service unless you were willing to make the trip to certain very specific stalls in certain very specific bylanes of Pune. There certainly wasn’t anything online. Here was an opportunity. But before he could go guns blazing, Ranjit had to convince his family and friends that this was a good idea. His family, surprisingly, were very supportive. “Both my parents are teachers. They wanted me to get a job as well. But I explained it to them this way that after seeing a salary, it’s harder to take risks like this. This got them excited. They said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen? You lose a year? If you fail, you have your degree.’”
His peers however, were less open-minded. “My MBA classmates all thought this was never going to work. It’s not something “educated” people with “good backgrounds” do.”
Ranjit knew he had to learn the trade. So he apprenticed with his good friend Deepprakash, who ran a shoe-repair service among a series of small, low-roofed stalls in the heart of Pune’s Camp area.
Probably Relevant Side Note: For those of you familiar with Shivaji Market, you probably know Deepprakash’s stall and have possibly even made use of his skills.
One of the stitching machines Ranjit invested in
There Ranjit learned the karigiri of leather repair - the raw materials needed and where to source them from, how to fix the gaping max of a shoe that has parted ways with its sole and how to make years-old leather shine like it was made yesterday. He combined this learning with an online presence - first starting an Instagram account, then Facebook and Google My Business pages.
It was hard to get orders initially. Remember, it was 2014 - e-commerce was still not as ubiquitous as it is today, and apps for everything from laundry to luggage delivery were still mostly pipe-dreams. Moreover, shoe repair, online or not, is a highly-judged profession.
Eventually though, orders started coming in as word spread. Ranjit didn’t even have a vehicle at this time, so he travelled by bus to pick up and drop orders. It soon became a constant cycle of pick up - repair - drop. But at the same time, Ranjit did not neglect learning more about his industry. He took a train to Mumbai and spent a few months in Dharavi, gaining insight into colour, cleaning and customization with the leather-workers in one of India’s largest hubs for leatherworking and industrial activity since the late 19th century.
When he got back to Pune, Ranjit took a loan and borrowed some money from his father, rented a room, purchased some machinery, hired some workers and went full-steam ahead.
Ten years later, the Cobbler runs out of a large workshop in Pune - with a team of ten highly experienced karigars, including Deepprakash. Ranjit explains, “We hired our team from leather factories. Each of them has at least 20 years of experience. They prefer working with us because we offer better hours, better salary and help build their skills.” Also part of the workshop are seven machines - four for stitching, one leather skiving machine - to make leather thinner and one machine each for grinding, compressing and airbrushing. They also use a heat-sink pipe to put those aglets back on and save fraying shoelaces. “Stitching machines are the most expensive. Stitching by hand also takes the most time in shoe repair, so the 10l we invested for the four machines is well worth it.”
Ranjit has also recently hired a business development team, three people from the leather industry who know the trade and can be trained for all else. According to him, educated people still do not want to get into a business of this kind. “Even now our sales and business team is not very qualified, but they are very experienced. They see the potential for growth where people with degrees can’t. We can pay them a little more than they would earn otherwise and they are excited at the prospect of building this.”
With his team raring to go, the Cobbler soon plans to approach brand stores like Guchi, Fendi and Louis Vuitton to partner with them to provide in-house repair services to their customers. Most of their business still comes from Instagram, with nearly 70% of their customer base returning to them for more services. Ranjit says, “The next level for us is to go directly to the market. Do road shows and set up pop-up repair booths in affluent neighbourhoods.” They also plan to bring a delivery team on board and expand the technical team.
The Cobbler’s Pune Workshop
The vision ultimately is to be the biggest shoe repair shop in India and bring in international clients. For Ranjit, Deepprakash and their team, it’s no longer just about their workshop. But about completely organizing and establishing a sector - taking Indian cobbling to the world. “Indian cobbling is a very underrated art,” Ranjit says. “In fact, it’s not just an art, but a science. We have the highest quality of repair. But no one imagines a cobbler’s shop in a mall. We ourselves don’t value it. No one respects this work.”
Moreover, like a lot of traditional crafts, younger generations are no longer interested in family trades or they want to build lives away from the stigma of caste-based occupations, which is of course their right. But for people like Ranjit, this is why it is important to do this work. “Keeping the tradition of Indian leather-working and shoe repair alive is also part of my vision,” he emphasizes.
And if you want to support this vision, you can reach out to The Cobbler via their website or Instagram. They will clean, repair, dye and restore your shoes, bags, wallets, jackets etc - whether they are leather or not - with precision and care. And if it helps, you will also be standing up against consumerism and fast fashion (the second largest cause of Climate Change) by repairing instead of buying, extending the life of your products and supporting a small business while you are at it.