Once a trusted travel companion for royalty and explorers in the 18th century, the trunk was built to safeguard essentials—garments, jewels, and keepsakes—on long voyages, all in a single, finely crafted chest. Today, a trunk is less a vessel for travel and more a celebration of heritage and artistry. And Jaipur-based Trunks Company, founded by Paritosh and Priyank Mehta, embodies this ethos.
Created in an unassuming multi-story atelier in the western part of Jaipur, Trunks Company is a treasure of design innovation and handcraftsmanship. Today, they produce no more than 100 trunks a year, each made entirely by hand with a small team of artisans—many of whom have been with the company since its inception in 2011. “It all started with my love for the culture, craft, and heritage of Jaipur,” says Paritosh. “Over time, it became a vehicle to express creativity and showcase the best of the city—and by extension, India’s—culture on a global level.”
The collections today include Trunks for Travel, Trunks of Spirit, Steamer Trunks, and Games Trunks, alongside bespoke commissions for personal collections and interiors. Stripped of overt marketing tactics, the atelier relies on word-of-mouth, a strategy that has drawn international clientele, from Qatar’s royal family to permanent installations at Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, and even earned the distinction of being India’s first design atelier auctioned by Sotheby’s New York.
Inspired by Jaipur’s architecture, the brand’s hexagonal insignia reinterprets the traditional jaali motif as a symbol of its roots. This philosophy extends to the design language, pairing fine leathers, natural woods, and brass accents with meticulous joinery. Each creation can take up to eight months to complete, with lead times increasing for larger sizes or special materials. The result is a modern heirloom—part craftsmanship, part collectible art, but replete with Indian ethos at heart.
1) Post the mock-up designs, leather sourced from some of the finest tanneries in the country serve as the foundation of every trunk’s structure. Each hide is thoroughly checked for flaws, and evened out to ensure consistent thickness. How the leather ages is also a key factor.
2) Each hide is then sponged and brushed using multiple layers of paint to conceal the natural colour of the hide. A combination of dyes, pigments, oils, and stains are layered to achieve this. Each coating must be completely dry before adding another.
3) While the hides are painted, another group of artisans work on building the wooden carcass of the trunk. Precision carpentry assures structural alignment and strength along with functionality. The painted hides are clad onto this structure.
4) Strokes of glue between the hide and the structure help ensure a seamless fit. The leather is hand-pressed onto the exterior until it is smooth and outlines the contours of the trunk seamlessly.
5) Once glued, the leather handles are stitched by hand. Other exterior fittings, too, get the same treatment.
6) Next, the brass hinges, knobs, and clasps are fastened, and completed with wood bordering. On the inside, the walls are lined with microfibre, similar to suede, giving it a smooth finish. These, too, are bordered with inlaid wood for finesse.
7) The individual compartments of the trunk are chalked out basis the sections of classic games such as chess, backgammon, poker, cards, and dominoes.
8) The Games Trunk is studded with multiple petite nails and brass fixtures as a means to reinforce the structure in place. Each is positioned by hand, and then hammered into place.
9) Inlaid boards, magnetised drawers, and felt-lined trays are handcrafted to hold game pieces securely. The game pieces are thought-out till the last detail. Take the chess pieces, for instance. The knight is created as a three-stepped piece, symbolic of the way it moves on the board. The queen, on the other hand, has notches on all sides, implying that she can move without limitations as per the game’s official rules.
10) The trunk is polished lightly multiple times for a soft lustre that develops depth over time. The leather is conditioned, and all edges are sealed. Any brass components are given a final buff to bring out their natural glow. But the trunk is declared ‘ready’ only when the signature jaali insignia seals the deal.
