Chamar Studio’s Sudheer Rajbhar owns the casteist term and works to empower the Dalit leather artisans by designing bags from reused material.
The social hierarchy of the society has been broken when he curated an exhibition based on labor exploitation and converted his childhood home into a creative space. He empowers the voices of the marginalized through art and activism, rebuilding identity and dignity.
Sudheer Rajbhar Foundation of ‘Chamar Studio’
“In the Indian caste system, ‘chamar’ is a derogatory term used to ostracize a community, but at the Chamar Studio, we embrace it with pride,” says 36-year-old Mumbai-based multidisciplinary artist and designer Sudheer Rajbhar.
He founded Chamar Studio to empower Dalit leather workers, employing them to curate handcrafted bags and accessories from sustainable material, like cotton and recycled rubber, sourced from old tires and tubes.
The initiative began in 2015 after the beef ban, which severely impacted the Dalit community, most of which relied on the leather industry for their livelihood. In response, Rajbhar motivated the artisans to use a new material made from recycled rubber, leading to the establishment of Chamar Studio.
In 2020, he organized the show ‘We Are Here Because You Are There’, which pointed out the exploitation of artist assistants whose creative contributions so often get overlooked. In addition, he started ‘The Reclaimed Tote Project’ under the Chamar Foundation, where local artisans collaborated with 66 leading designers to produce tote bags using discarded fabric scraps from their studios.
Chamar Studio Inspiration
During his interview with The Week, Sudheer Rajbhar speaks about the social prejudice he faced and overcame. Hailing from a chawl in Mumbai, he didn’t receive any respect; if he ever visited his village in Uttar Pradesh, people used casteist slurs at him. “When I go back to my village, people use the words ‘Bhar’ and ‘Chamar’ as insults, perhaps because they rhyme,” he explained.
Determined to win the word back with pride, Rajbhar wanted the connotation to change. “If we associate ‘Chamar’ with something positive, it will gain respect. Otherwise, it will always remain an insult,” he said, explaining why he chose to name his brand Chamar Studio. Clear in his vision, if the brand became a success, people would say “Wow!” And true to his words, that’s exactly what has happened. Chamar Studio’s unique designs have gained global recognition. At Design Miami, pop icon Rihanna was spotted posing stylishly on the brand’s Flap Chair, bringing even more visibility to Rajbhar’s movement.
