Arya Katare
Leather Accessories Designer | Founder, 5PointFive.Lab
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About
She is a leather accessories designer based in Mumbai, working across India and New York on handbags, wallets, and small leather goods, from first sketch to finished product. She works directly with a network of five to seven factories across Kolkata and Delhi, and across materials including leather, recycled PET, flat knits, PVC, nylon, and fabric. Alongside her design work, she runs 5PointFive.Lab, an independent leather design studio that transforms LWG-rated, ethically sourced factory surplus into handcrafted, functional leather goods, from wallets and cases to bags, with a focus on craftsmanship, longevity, and conscious material use.
Beyond products, the studio runs hands-on leather workshops that make the craft approachable and memorable. Her approach is playful, material-driven, and always a little unexpected.
Experience
Junior Leather Accessories Designer & Merchandiser - BEHNO NY
(2025-06 - 2025-12)
Designing, sampling, sourcing, material exploration, vendor coordination, factory coordination, tech pack development, quality check, brand collaborations. Key seasons: RECUT, FW25, SS26, Resort 26, Pre-fall 26 and FW26. Softwares: Adobe Photoshop, PLM, Adobe illustrator, Adobe Indesign and AI tools
PR Manager - APOSTROPHE COMMUNICATIONS
(2025-06 - 2025-12)
Social media collaborations, executed campaigns, PR proposals, brand positioning. Key Brands: Villeroy & Boch, Saundh, Joker & Witch.
Graphic Design - FODRIX PVT LTD
(2024-12 - 2025-04)
Graphics, photo editing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom
Leather Accessories Designer | Founder - 5POINTFIVE.LAB - Mumbai
Independent leather design studio that transforms LWG-rated, ethically sourced factory surplus into handcrafted, functional leather goods, from wallets and cases to bags, with a focus on craftsmanship, longevity, and conscious material use. Runs hands-on leather workshops.
Junior Leather Accessories Designer & Merchandiser - BEHNO NY
(2025-06 - 2025-12)
Designing, sampling, sourcing, material exploration, vendor coordination, factory coordination, tech pack development, quality check, brand collaborations
- Key seasons: RECUT, FW25, SS26, Resort 26, Pre-fall 26 and FW26
- Softwares: Adobe Photoshop, PLM, Adobe illustrator, Adobe Indesign and AI tools
Junior Merchandiser - APOLLO FASHION INTERNATIONAL LTD. - Onsite - Summer Internship
(2024 - 2024)
Sampling, styling, merchandising, trend research. Softwares: Adobe Illustrator, Indesign, Rhino. Key Brands: All Saints, Zadig & Voltaire, Diesel, A&F.
Apparel - BHARAT ENTERPRISES
(2023 - 2023)
Styling, trend research, designing, merchandising. Key Brands: Diesel, VELEZ, YKKS
Graphic Design - PR INTERNATIONAL
(2022 - 2022)
Packaging and print design, graphic design, social media handling. Key clients: BISWA BANGLA
Craft Research Documentation - STAHL Chemicals - Kolkata
(2022 - 2022)
Research documentation, handcrafted batik leather products, working with artisan's cluster, identified gaps
Graphic Design - FODRIX PVT LTD
(2021 - 2021)
Graphics, photo editing, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom
Education
BDes. - Leather design - NIFT Kolkata (2020 - 2024)
12th - Emmanuel Mission School (2019 - 2019) Kota
10th - Good Shepherd School (2017 - 2017) Shahdol, M.P
