Adisee, Leather
Reinforcing brand voice with virtues of Functionality, Sustainability and Longevity
Encapsulating the brand journey of this lady entrepreneur 'Aditi Khorana' Founder & Director, Adisee
Fewer But Better
Quality over Quantity
Minimalism
Being Responsible
India, despite having a heritage of rich hand craftsmanship and readily available resources, lacked a homegrown brand synonymous to luxury handbags. The vision to build an Indian brand envisaged with the power to withstand international design aesthetics, the idea of this brand was born.
Adisee is India's foremost leather accessory brand pulsating with the belief of good design than just visual appeal. The name itself stands testament of maternal legacy and acknowledges the feminism influence on the brand. At the helm is the young entrepenuer Aditi whose vision began in Rome where she studied design and the art of crafting leather accesseries by the finest of instructors and mentors at work places like Fendi and IL Bisonte.
We, at TLI chronicle her journey with milestone moments that can help inspire young India. Excerpts from the interview :
- Tell us about your journey briefly
Even though I studied Economics for my undergrad, I always knew I had a passion to design footwear and accessories. So, my journey began at Academia Costume & Moda in Rome where I studied the design process as well as the craft of making leather accessories during my Masters course. After completing my Master’s degree, I was lucky enough to land an internship at the Edinburgh based luxury handbags brand, Strathberry where I learnt immensely about the quality standards and good and functional design.
In 2019, while working at a design job here in Delhi, the quieter lines of ADISEE started emboldening and in December 2020, ADISEE was launched.
I honestly didn’t know much about running a brand before I started out, just a passion for design and the mission to get a different perspective to India towards accessories where the silhouette speaks louder than the ornamentation. And here we are, one and a half years later, still trying to figure out the “how to run a brand” part but floored with the positive response. So to sum it up, it definitely has not been easy but an extremely rewarding journey till now.
- Where did your brand's inspiration come from?
With the aspiration of bringing luxurious leather accessories, designed, conceptualised and manufactured in the home-country, India, Adisee was born. Talking about the brand aesthetic as a designer, the motto of bringing order to chaos through geometry always drives my thought process, and I am generally drawn towards architecture and symmetry which has translated in the minimal aesthetic of the brand as well.
- How imperative is Sustainability and how is it being facilitated within the workings of the brand?
Sustainability is extremely crucial for any business considering the state of the world right now. Sustainability covers a wide spectrum, one very important aspect of Sustainability is buying less and that is the ‘mantra’ of our brand – Buy Less, but Buy Better. We encourage people to invest in products that will last them a lifetime. Along with this approach, we keep a very close eye on our supply chain such as; our leather comes from an LWG (Leather Working Group) certified Gold-rated tannery ensuring minimal environmental impact and zero effluents. The lining that we use is made of 100% recycled polyester whereas our packaging boxes are made from FSC certified boards. I also believe, if the tanning process is monitored, then leather is a better material as compared to readily available leather alternatives such as PU and Rexine loosely termed as ‘Vegan Leather’ considering Leather is bio-degradable as well as gives durability to the product.
- What is the strength of Adisee?
The strength of Adisee is a distinguished design language and also the longevity of the products. We want these pieces to be handed down from one generation to another like true luxury since each design is created keeping in mind the timelessness and the season-less approach and, not tailed by trends.
- How many line collections have you released since inception?
We have recently launched our third collection, called Ingress, which has some very geometric and unique silhouettes keeping true to the brand language.
- What is the plan for the remaining 2022?
We are currently fidgeting with the idea of visualising a Festive Collection at Adisee as being a homegrown brand, Indian festivals are of utmost value to us. We might also be delving into some fitting collaboration towards the end of this year.
- Which accessory is your best seller?
Hands down, Jade, the wooden handle triangle bag launched in 2021. I was so nervous for how this design will be received since it felt pretty experimental and different. But I was pleasantly surprised by the love it received and it has become a signature design of the brand in a way that people have started resonating the brand with this bag.