Leather Footwear clusters in India
| Cluster | State / districts | Type | Season | Export gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vellore district tanning belt (Ambur-Ranipet-Vaniyambadi) / Kanpur-Unnao (saddlery, safety footwear) / Kolkata Bantala leather complex | Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal; Maharashtra — Chennai; Ambur; Ranipet; Vaniyambadi; Vellore; Pernambut; Trichy; Dindigul; Erode (TN); Kanpur; Unnao (UP - saddlery, tanning); Kolkata-Bantala (WB - goods); Mumbai (MH) | sez | Year-round; raw hides seasonal (post-Eid/ winter) | Chennai |
| Agra / Ambur-Ranipet | Uttar Pradesh; Tamil Nadu; Haryana; Delhi; Karnataka — Agra (largest footwear cluster, ~hundreds of units); Kanpur (safety shoes); Ambur-Ranipet-Vaniyambadi (TN - export shoe uppers/full shoes); Bahadurgarh (HR - non-leather); Bengaluru | industrial estate | Year-round; AW samples Jan-Mar, SS Jul-Sep (ASSUMPTION) | Nhava Sheva |
| Kolkata (industrial gloves) / Rajkot | West Bengal; Gujarat; Tamil Nadu; Delhi NCR — Kolkata (leather/cotton gloves - Bantala, Bhadrakali); Rajkot (helmets, safety nets); Chennai-Ambur (safety shoes); Noida-Faridabad | industrial estate | Year-round | Kolkata/Haldia |
Cluster notes
Total leather & footwear exports USD 5,576.91 mn FY2024-25 (vs 5,387.87 mn): leather goods 1,319.6 mn (23.66%), finished leather 445.32 mn, garments 353.82 mn, saddlery 205.39 mn - CLE citing DGCI&S (tier 3); production centres listed by CLE Assessment: India #2 exporter of leather garments & saddlery, #5 leather goods (CLE); Germany/US/UK/Italy/France/UAE; non-leather/vegan trend is a risk and an opportunity
Leather footwear USD 2,007.76 mn (36.0%), footwear components 244.17 mn, non-leather footwear 252.91 mn FY2024-25 - CLE/DGCI&S (tier 3); India exports ~250 mn pairs/yr (World Footwear Yearbook 2024 via worldfootwear.com, tier 5) Assessment: Footwear = 40.5% of leather-sector exports; UK, US, Germany, Italy; India #2 producer (3 bn pairs); Agra = low-cost PU/leather casuals; Ambur = premium leather shoes
Segment figure: unavailable in this session (gloves fall under CLE 'non-leather goods' USD 740.71 mn FY25 in part) Assessment: Work gloves, safety shoes, hi-vis to EU/US/GCC/Australia; EN/ANSI certification; post-COVID PPE base; fits 'hotel/industrial supplies' programme
Associations and directories
Export promotion and producer bodies relevant to leather footwear: Council for Leather Exports (CLE).
Frequently asked questions
Which Indian state produces the most leather footwear?
Our cluster data lists Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal; Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh; Tamil Nadu; Haryana; Delhi; Karnataka, West Bengal; Gujarat; Tamil Nadu; Delhi NCR as the main sources; see the table for districts and seasons.
When is the leather footwear season in India?
Tamil Nadu; Uttar Pradesh; West Bengal; Maharashtra: Year-round; raw hides seasonal (post-Eid/ winter); Uttar Pradesh; Tamil Nadu; Haryana; Delhi; Karnataka: Year-round; AW samples Jan-Mar, SS Jul-Sep (ASSUMPTION).
How do you verify leather footwear suppliers?
We check registrations (GST, IEC, FSSAI or BIS where relevant), visit the unit, review past export documents and test a sample lot before listing a supplier.
Related
Source leather footwear from India
Tell us grade, volume and destination.