Design studio & export house · Gurugram · Since 2005

Leather, made by hand in India.

Hand-braided, woven and knotted leather, conceived in our studio and finished by master artisans for the world's leading brands.

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Chocolate braided leather bag with a bamboo handle in a warm mist

The House

A boutique house, by choice.

Every collection begins with your brief. Our design studio interprets it, refines it and guides it through the hands of India's finest artisans.

Every brand works directly with our studio, from the first leather swatch to the final packed carton, so each collection keeps its handwriting from sketch to shelf.

Braided leather close-up, black and gold

The heart of the house

Leather

Full-grain hides and supple suedes, in embossed, printed and metallic finishes, crafted into handbags, travel bags, weekenders and small leather goods. Our braided, woven and knotted pieces are worked strip by strip, entirely by hand.

BraidedPlaited by hand
Hand-wovenWoven on the form
Hand-knottedKnotted strip by strip
Full grain & nappaSmooth hides
SuedeSoft finish
Printed cow hair-onSurface
Printed & embossedSnake · croc
Metallic & foilSurface

Red braided leather tote on a soft blush studio backdrop

Lime braided leather half-moon clutch with tassel on a pale sage studio backdrop

Black and gold woven leather tote on a warm stone studio backdrop

Selected styles

The collection

A selection from our current development, led by leather. Every style can be made in your colours, hides and trims.

Statement pieces

Pouch clutch, red nappa — Pouch clutchRed nappa

Braided tote, metallic gold — Braided toteMetallic gold

Braided & woven leather

Herringbone tote, cream — Herringbone toteCream

Diamond tote, chocolate & ivory — Diamond toteChocolate & ivory

Braided hobo, butter — Braided hoboButter

Full grain & nappa

Tasselled holdall, camel — Tasselled holdallCamel

Slouch hobo, metallic silver — Slouch hoboMetallic silver

Tasselled tote, orange nappa — Tasselled toteOrange nappa

Shopper tote, fuchsia nappa — Shopper toteFuchsia nappa

Suede

Travel & weekender

Weekender, tiger hair-on — WeekenderTiger hair-on

Tasselled satchel, grey suede — Tasselled satchelGrey suede

Denim check-weave leather tote in a blue-grey mist

Zebra-print hair-on crescent hobo in a taupe mist

Hair-on & tooled leather

Crossbody, leopard print — CrossbodyLeopard print

Patchwork clutch, animal print — Patchwork clutchAnimal print

Tote, natural hair-on — ToteNatural hair-on

Bucket bag, hand-tooled — Bucket bagHand-tooled

Straw & natural

Rattan basket, drawstring top — Rattan basketDrawstring top

Round basket, gingham lining — Round basketGingham lining

Chunky-weave tote, braided straw — Chunky-weave toteBraided straw

Straw tote, leather handles — Straw toteLeather handles

Rattan vanity bag with braided leather handle, rattan and tan leather — Rattan vanity bagRattan & leather

Raffia & crochet

Fringe half-moon clutch, natural paper raffia — Fringe clutchPaper raffia

Embroidered basket, raffia — Embroidered basketRaffia

Geometric basket, black and natural raffia — Geometric basketBlack & natural

Crochet tote, lime raffia — Crochet toteLime raffia

Striped crochet basket, green and natural raffia — Striped basketGreen & natural

Canvas, fabrics & recycled

Embellished hobo, blue handloom — Embellished hoboBlue handloom

Jacquard hobo, mustard — Jacquard hoboMustard

Canvas tote, cotton canvas with leather trims — Canvas toteLeather trims

Woven basket, recycled nylon — Woven basketRecycled nylon

Striped tote, recycled weave — Striped toteRecycled weave

Also from our studio

Beads & embellishment

Hand-beading and embellishment, ethically sourced from India and made by hand alongside our leather collections.

Box clutch, blue & ivory beads — Box clutchBlue & ivory beads

Shoulder bag, red wooden beads — Shoulder bagRed wooden beads

Beaded bag, blush glass beads — Beaded bagBlush glass beads

Pearl bag, hand-beaded — Pearl bagHand-beaded

Ring bag, sequin discs — Ring bagSequin discs

In our workshop

Designed in our studio.
Made by hand.

Village workshops, women's groups and tribal women artisans cut, braid, knot and weave every piece, sustaining livelihoods built on skills passed down through generations.

01 CutOne hide, spiral-cut into a single continuous strip.

02 BraidEvery strip placed and tightened by hand.

03 KnotRow by row, the shape takes form.

04 WeaveNatural cane, worked over and under on a wooden frame.

A row of women artisans weaving natural straw by hand, seated together on the workshop floor

Every bag begins in hands like these: women's groups who weave, braid and coil together, earning a livelihood from skills passed down through generations.

Women artisans weaving straw mats side by side — Weaving together

Close-up of hands coiling and plaiting kauna grass — Coiled by hand

Close-up of a hand weaving dyed purple and orange strips on a board — Colour, strand by strand

Our in-house atelier

A craftsman stitching a strap on an industrial sewing machine in The Mangoes unit — Precision stitching

A finished strap coming off the sewing machine — Straps, turned and finished

Hands trimming leftover strips by hand for reuse — Nothing wasted

Founder & Creative Director

“Contemporary global influences, carried by India's craft traditions.”

Monika Ailawadi founded The Mangoes in 2005 after seven years with Indian export houses. With nearly three decades in fashion, she leads the design studio and gives every collection its handwriting.

Working together

From brief to carton

Brief
Direction, target hides and technical requirements.
Sampling
Shape, finish and construction developed for your review.
Refinement
Your feedback carried into the approved specification.
Production
Manufacturing, quality checks, finishing and packing.

Responsibility

Audited and accountable

Independently verified and reviewed every year. Solar-powered operations for over a decade.

SEDEX

SMETA 4-pillar audited

Labour, health and safety, environment and business ethics.

ZED Silver

Certified

India's Zero Defect Zero Effect programme for quality and environment.

MSME

Registered

Registered with India's Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Trusted by international fashion brands across Europe, the United States and South Africa. References shared in confidence on request.

The showroom

Every material, under one roof

Leather, hair-on, straw, beads and recycled weaves, with our hide library on hand for development. Visits to our Gurugram showroom are by appointment.