On a bright November morning, 70-odd YFLO members packed their bags for a day trip to Amta Road, Howrah. The reason? To see what goes into the making of a lady’s best friend — a handbag!

“Leather goods manufacturer Maple Accessories makes bags for many high-end international brands. Our members got a ringside view of how their favourite leather handbags and wallets are created for some of the leading fashion houses of the world. The personal tour of the factory was amazing,” said YFLO chairperson Shilpi Choudhary. 

The factory is spread over a single floor of 1,50,000sq ft area and Japanese production methods are used in the manufacturing process. “Our biggest challenge in the near future will be to keep the operating costs under control. This can only happen when we are able to automate a lot of our production processes,” said Gaurav Bhalotia, CEO of Maple Accessories. 

As the day came to an end, the members were treated to a curated lunch by To Die For and gifted personalised leather credit card cases to carry back.