Guitars To Shirts: This Kolkata Brand Makes Jute Bags In The Quirkiest Designs

Jute is no longer used in just ropes and as gunny sacks to store grains and vegetables, it has become a part of the fashion industry in a big way. Bengal is where most of the jute manufacturers are, and this is where most of the bags for big brands and art galleries abroad are manufactured. We had told yo about the number of stalls along Gariahat pavements that sell the export surplus bags. Some indie  brands too have been making interesting bags from jute. We found one when we stumbled upon a few eye-catching bags at Oxford Bookstore. And dug around to find out who was making them!   

So what we discovered is the bags are made by HR Jute, a classic example of women entrepreneurship, where two ladies  of a family, Savita Mall and Prerana Bahety decided to redesign and reinvent a traditional jute business some years back. The brand was launched by HR Infracon Litd and its allied companies who are owners of three jute mills which make export quality jute gunny and hessian bags.

They have a range of bags from shopping bags to wine bags, office and laptop bags, beach bags and more. Since everyone is tryong to reduce their carbon footprints, the bags are a great choice as eco totes or green shopping bags. We were flipping out after seeing the over-the-shoulder guitar-shaped number! And the striking red and black shirt-like handbag.

Apart from jute, they use cotton JUCO (a cloth mixture of jute and cotton), linen and also canvas. And they also make furnishing materials, yoga mats, prayer mats, and jute slippers. You can order their items in bulk for corporate gifts, novelties, hotel use and weddings. The prices of products depends upon the product and ranges from INR 30 to 3,000.

You can buy them at Oxford Bookstore on Park Street or for bulk orders and sample checking, visit their office at 135 Foreshore Road , Howrah House, Howrah-711102 (near Ram Krishnapur Ghat). For customised bags, write to hrgojute@gmail.com or call 1-91631-86313. 

The bags available at Oxford Bookstore are limited in range and number. An outlet would be great to walk in and browse designs.

The vertical bags in jute and printed cloth (meant as water or wine bags) make for great totes.