Three Sixty’s Vikash Gupta On Turning India’s Leather Legacy Into A Global Luxury Brand

A premium leather bar cabinet in an urban Indian home is more than just a piece of furniture. It reflects a growing shift in how consumers view products that are proudly made in India. For years, premium Indian leather mostly found its way into global brands, while the craftsmanship behind it rarely received the recognition it deserved.

Vikash Gupta spent over 15 years on the other side of that story, running a B2B export business that supplied leather goods to international brands. While studying in the US, he also worked part-time at a leather store. 

It was there that he realised the real gap wasn’t in the quality of Indian leather or the skill of its artisans, but in who got credit for the final product. That realisation pushed him to move away from the relatively predictable export business and build a consumer brand of his own.

That idea took shape as Three Sixty in 2009, with the belief that handcrafted Indian leather could become a statement piece in modern homes. The opportunity has only grown since then. India’s leather goods market touched $14 Bn in 2025 and is expected to reach $20.6 Bn by 2034, driven by rising incomes and growing demand for premium products. 

The luxury leather segment, in particular, is seeing steady growth as more consumers are willing to spend on high-quality, design-led products.

Three Sixty has built its business around balancing traditional craftsmanship with the demands of a modern D2C brand. Many of its artisans have worked with the company for over 25 years, while its “Scalable Craftsmanship” model aims to preserve hand-stitched and hand-finished techniques even as the brand expands across product categories and into Tier II cities such as Bhopal and Patna.

Its design philosophy, which blends global aesthetics with Indian leather-craft techniques such as hand-weaving and edge colouring, has also led to collaborations with brands such as Raymond’s, BMW, House of Glenfiddich, and Kapil Dev. More than brand partnerships, these collaborations reflect a shared effort to showcase Indian craftsmanship on a larger stage.

In a conversation with Inc42, Three Sixty founder Vikash Gupta spoke about his journey from B2B exports to building a premium D2C brand, the thinking behind the brand philosophy of “Live the Leather Life”, and his vision of making Three Sixty a global ambassador for Indian leather.

Here are the edited excerpts from the conversation…

Inc42: You spent 16 years in the predictable B2B exports (Ranvik Exports) segment before launching Three Sixty in 2009. What was the exact operational trigger that made you switch from B2B margins to D2C brand risk?

Vikash Gupta: The operational transition was rooted in a personal realisation. While living in the US and working in a leather store to pay for my tuition, I saw premium Indian products selling successfully under international brand names, but with the ‘India story’ completely erased. That was the trigger. I realised I didn’t want to just be an invisible supplier; I wanted to be the architect of a global identity. Moving from B2B to D2C was about reclaiming our narrative and proving that an Indian brand could define luxury on its own terms.

Inc42: Premium leather furniture and bar decor is an incredibly niche space in India. What market gap convinced you this could scale, and how do you reconcile the slow rhythm of luxury craftsmanship with the fast-scale demands of a D2C business?

Vikash Gupta: The data point is behavioural: we are witnessing the premiumisation of the Indian home. As disposable incomes rise, the Indian consumer is shifting from mass-produced trends to ‘conversation pieces’, products that signify personal taste and heritage. Home entertainment has become the centre of modern social life, and we identified a significant gap for high-quality, leather-centric bar and lifestyle accessories that serve as the anchor for these experiences. We aren’t just selling a cabinet; we are selling the setting for the best conversations.

As for reconciling craftsmanship with scale, in an era of disposable, fast furniture, our commitment to slow, deliberate craftsmanship is actually our greatest competitive advantage. We don’t reconcile these models by compromising on speed; we reconcile them by doubling down on ‘Scalable Craftsmanship.’ We have built a robust design and supply chain architecture that allows us to maintain the integrity of artisanal skill while scaling our output. We aren’t competing for the consumer who wants a quick fix; we are building for the customer who wants a legacy piece.

Inc42: How would you describe the ‘Live the Leather Life’ philosophy, and how does it reflect your own values?

Vikash Gupta: ‘Live the Leather Life’ is about authenticity in an age of imitation. Leather is a character-driven, living material that ages with grace, a concept often lost in a market saturated with synthetic alternatives. Our philosophy is an invitation to educate: we want our customers to understand the difference between disposability and longevity. By organising this industry, we aren’t just selling products; we are honouring the resource, the artisan, and the consumer’s desire for something real.

Inc42: Three Sixty operates in a fairly niche category with products like handcrafted leather furniture, bars, décor and travel accessories. How and when did you realise that this could be a category to build in?

Vikash Gupta: My years as a global supply chain partner gave me a unique vantage point: I saw that global brands were building lifestyle ecosystems around leather, not just selling standalone items. I realised that the Indian domestic market was ready for a brand that treated leather not just as a material, but as the centrepiece of home experience. When you see your product being the stage for friendships and celebrations, you realise you aren’t just in the furniture business; you are in the experience business.

Operating in this supply chain also taught me that the true luxury of leather lies in its longevity and how it evolves with the owner. Unlike mass-produced materials that deteriorate over time, high-quality, handcrafted leather develops a beautiful patina, absorbing the history and character of the home it lives in. By focusing on bespoke bars, tailored decor, and specialised travel accessories, we discovered that our niche wasn’t defined by a lack of demand, but by a demand for deeper meaning. Today’s conscious consumers aren’t looking for transient trends; they want to invest in enduring, artisanal pieces that carry a distinct soul and tell a story across generations.

Inc42: How central is Indian craftsmanship and artisanal skill to the brand’s identity, and how do you work with your artisan community?

Vikash Gupta: Craftsmanship is the soul of Three Sixty. We have artisans who have been with us for over 25 years; their hands are our institutional memory. For us, ethics isn’t a checklist; it’s a culture. We prioritise the welfare of our artisans, from banking and financial inclusion to educational support for their children. When I am on the shop floor with them, I’m not just managing production; I am working with the partners who make our India Story possible.

Inc42: Tell us more about the design philosophy. How do you balance global design trends with Indian leather craftsmanship?

Vikash Gupta: We have a strong in-house design team comprising graduates from NID and NIFT who develop every collection from the ground up. We treat our design division as a research lab. We don’t copy; we curate. Our process involves blending global design inspiration with traditional Indian leather techniques, and we encourage our team to travel and collaborate with international designers, bringing those learnings back to the shop floor. The magic happens when the global aesthetic meets the raw, tactile skill of our Indian craftsmen; that synthesis is where every Three Sixty piece is born.

This balance is achieved by respecting the strengths of both worlds: global design brings structural discipline, sleek silhouettes, and contemporary functionality, while our local artisans bring soul, texture, and centuries of hand-stitching heritage. We might take a minimalist, mid-century modern frame inspired by European trends and elevate it using intricate traditional Indian hand-weaving or specialised edge-colouring techniques passed down through generations. By treating leather not just as a covering but as a living canvas, our designs tell a story of global sophistication rooted in authentic Indian craftsmanship, ensuring each piece feels at home in a modern metropolitan setting anywhere in the world while retaining its distinct artisanal identity.

Inc42: Tell us about the brand’s approach to sustainability. Why handcrafted and long-lasting pieces over mass-produced ones?

Vikash Gupta: True sustainability is about durability. We have consciously moved away from the fast-fashion mentality that has encroached on the furniture industry. Leather is, by nature, a circular, biodegradable byproduct of the food industry. When handled with expert craftsmanship, it becomes an heirloom meant to be passed down through generations. By focusing on products that last, we are actively reducing the need for constant, wasteful replacements. We are building for longevity, not just for the season.

Inc42: Collaborations with Raymond’s Chairman’s Collection, BMW, House of Glenfiddich and Kapil Dev are notable. How do these partnerships come about, and what do they add to the brand?

Vikash Gupta: These partnerships are strategic manifestations of the India Story. Whether it’s collaborating with Kapil Dev on his iconic cricket milestones or working with William Grant & Sons for the first time in their 130-year history outside of the liquor industry, these brands choose us because we share a commitment to legacy. We don’t look for transactional partnerships; we look for brands that want to co-author a story of excellence and Indian pride.

These alliances elevate purpose; they validate handcrafted leather as a premium medium for storytelling. When we designed the limited-edition, signed portable bars celebrating Kapil Dev’s legendary 175* knock, or curated immersive interior statements with the House of Glenfiddich, we weren’t just creating products; we were designing collectables. Looking ahead, we are exploring deep, multisensory collaborations with visionary creators and luxury lifestyle brands that push the boundaries of where artisanal leather can be found, creating bespoke experiential touchpoints that celebrate design innovation and authentic Indian heritage on both domestic and global stages.

Inc42: How would you describe the culture within Three Sixty, especially leadership’s relationship with employees and artisans?

Vikash Gupta: We are one big family. In a high-growth environment, maintaining an open, human-centric culture is paramount. My leadership style is built on proximity; I believe in spending time on the shop floor because that is where the brand is actually made. When leadership respects the artisans as the true creators, the entire organisation aligns behind the vision of building a global Indian brand.

This mutual respect is what transforms our workshop from a production unit into a thriving community. We place a strong emphasis on dignity of labour and continuous upskilling, ensuring our artisans see themselves not just as workers, but as specialised custodians of a rare craft. By bridging the gap between corporate strategy and the shop floor, we create a workplace where a master craftsman’s generational knowledge is valued just as highly as a design graduate’s fresh perspective. When our team sees that their individual artistry is directly responsible for putting Indian luxury on the global map, it breeds a deep sense of shared ownership and pride that traditional corporate incentives simply cannot replicate.

Inc42: Three Sixty has expanded into cities such as Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Bhopal, and Patna. What’s driving this Tier II expansion strategy?

Vikash Gupta: The aspiration in Tier II India is palpable. We are seeing a significant shift where consumers in these cities are demanding the same world-class design and quality as metro dwellers, but with their own distinct preferences. We aren’t just expanding footprints; we are tapping into the next wave of Indian luxury. The future of the India Story is being written in these cities, and we intend to be right there as the preferred lifestyle partner.

Inc42: What does becoming a ‘complete lifestyle ecosystem’ mean for Three Sixty’s future, and where do you see the brand on the global stage in the next five to ten years?

Vikash Gupta: Becoming a complete lifestyle ecosystem means moving from providing furniture to curating environments. We are looking beyond the product. We want to define the spaces in which our customers live, travel, and entertain. We are expanding our design language to ensure that from the moment you wake up to the moment you host a guest, Three Sixty Leather is the thread that ties your lifestyle together.

On the global stage, the ambition is clear: ThreeSixty will be the primary global ambassador for Indian leather craftsmanship. My goal is for the brand to sit comfortably in the same conversation as the world’s great luxury names, proving that ‘Made in India’ is synonymous with world-class design, ethical production, and timeless luxury. We are not just building a company; we are cementing India’s place in the global luxury discourse.

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