The Art of Trunkmaking Reimagined

From ancient storage chests to essential 19th-century travel gear for the elite, a stylish, leather-bond trunk often conjures up images of transatlantic travel from Europe to America, historically defined by ocean liners. Trunks are also synonymous with the Indian maharajas of the 20th century, reflecting their immense wealth and lifestyle of travel and glamor, often purchased from Louis Vuitton, and designed to hold, display and protect precious jewels, refined clothing and personal belongings. Trunks are often a reflection of a slower, bygone era of glamour. For today’s frequent travelers, they have been replaced with more functional, easy-to-use suitcases. However, in Jaipur, India, a city known as the gem capital of the world, a homegrown company called Trunks Company Jaipur, is making trunks a comeback item. 

Situated off a bustling side street in Jaipur, also known as the Pink City for its charming, pink-coluored architecture, a multi-floor showroom reveals a variety of handcrafted, leather trunks made in diverse colours for various uses. The showroom, like a treasure chest for those passionate about upscale craftsmanship, luxury, and design, is a testament to the founder of Trunks Company Jaipur, Paritosh Mehta who established the company in 2011 with a mission to revitalise the bygone aesthetics of steamship travel. Mehta has brought back the trunk as an upscale, leather-bound design object to be used for everything from vaults for fine watches and jewellery, an elaborate bar cabinet, a make-up counter, a case for crystals, books, a cigar humidor, a chess set, coffee, music and even turbans and casinos.

“It all started with my natural affinity towards the culture and craftsmanship of our region, and a mission to contribute and evolve such arts and interpret them in a way where we can show the best of what we have to the world,” explains Mehta, originally from Jaipur. “Trunks became a vehicle for us to express our creativity. It was a very intuitive idea that led to the establishment of Trunks Company Jaipur. All our creations have a regional interpretation, not only in terms of craftsmanship, but in terms of design.”

While visitors to the showroom in Jaipur can marvel as the diversely designed trunks open and close, like jewellery boxes, revealing exceptionally crafted interiors for unique, upscale objects, it is when they travel around Jaipur that they learn of the inspiration and heritage behind each trunk. Each individually handmade trunk inspired by the culture and architectural heritage of Jaipur – even the company’s floral emblem draws its design from the traditional jali or perforated latticed screens that are a defining feature of Jaipur’s architecture and date back to the 16th century. “In India, there is no other company, apart from ours that creates trunks,” adds Mehta, emphasising how they only have the capacity to create 100 trunks per year.

Its discerning local and international clientele are growing and include Gulf royalty, an installation for Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace and specialised pieces for Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, among many others. In 2025, Trunks Company Jaipur made history as the first Indian design atelier to have a bespoke trunk for a watch collector, auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York, selling for $US 40,640. It was designed by Mehta in collaboration with Sotheby’s, Global Head of Watches, Geoff Hess and used leather, teakwood and brass and took 2,200 hours to make. 

“We draw our inspiration from the city of Jaipur, from architectural marvels like Amer Fort, Hawa Mahal and City Palace,” muses Mehta. “We have created an entire lifestyle around the trunks – they have become a means to appreciate and discover the rich heritage of Jaipur.” 

Each trunk is prepared meticulously by hand. While some designs are the creations entirely of Mehta, others are bespoke requests, made from in-depth one-on-one meetings to understand a client’s requests and their lifestyle. Each trunk then takes between two to eight months to complete. A combination of pigments, oils and dyes, master colourists carefully sponge and layer paint onto the leather to give it its unique coluor. Leather handles are stitched entirely by hand while brass clasps, knobs, hingers and corners are fastened by hand onto the trunk. Each process, explains Mehta, takes numerous drafts, often reaching 100 tries until the design element is perfect for the trunk to be created. 

Mehta emphasises how many of his clients use the trunks as functional works of art – to be used and then passed down across generations. Some trunks now also incorporate gradients of colour, akin to a meditative Rothko painting or incorporate brass in unique positions like an edgy design object. 

There’s no limit to Mehta’s creativity nor his vision for Trunks Company Jaipur. Jaipur is renowned for its traditional art forms, including delicate jewellery, blue pottery, vibrant block-printed textiles and marble carving, among others. Perhaps someday it will also be recognised for its trunks. 

Like Jaipur, a jewel of a city rife with discovery, a trunk from Trunks Company Jaipur constitutes its own cherished jewel. It reflects a reverence for the heritage and the city of Jaipur and a mission to preserve craft while celebrating the beauty of a functional design object. trunkscompany.com