Artist and founder of Chamar studio in Mumbai, Sudheer Rajbhar first developed its signature material - a canvas mesh which is fused with a layer of recycled rubber. Working closely with the Dalit community, particularly in Dharavi, the largest slum in Mumbai, his studio line was born out of their ingenious skill at recycling rubber and waste into functional objects. Great research and development went into giving the material strength and refining the colour, Inspired by the blue tarpaulin that is used to protect houses during the monsoon. Debuting its leather alternative across a line of handbags and fashion accessories, Sudheer Rajbhar immediately gained the support of the fashion world in India.
For its collaboration with æquō, he continues to take its references from fashion and the micro details of garment construction. The fall of fabric inspires the Pocket chair and the inner seam of garments clearly informs the Sleeve lights. Riveting replaces stitching and the specially developed recycled rubber is precision cut - the plastic pattern cutters of Dharavi as skilled as the leather craftsmen of before. A final surprise is the illusion of softness; there is no natural drop but rather a strength and rigidity, which create sustainable objects of collectible design.
Sudheer Rajbhar