India, Aug. 21 -- 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 realis...