When Rihanna perched on a striking black ‘flap chair’ at flagship design fair Design Miami 2024, the image went viral. The pop star’s choice of seat wasn’t just about style: it carried with it the story of Chamar Studio, a design collective from Mumbai’s slums. The annual showcase of contemporary furniture and objects had put the marginalised Dalit community on the international stage.
For centuries, Dalits – historically labelled ‘untouchables’ – occupied the lowest rung of India’s caste hierarchy. Excluded from education and public life, many were restricted to low-status work. Although such discrimination was abolished by the Indian constitution in 1950, prejudice continues. Between January and June 2025 alone, 113 caste-based attacks were reported nationwide.
Among Dalits, the word Chamar traditionally referred to leatherworkers, but was weaponised as a slur. “Growing up in Mumbai slums, I used to be cursed as ‘Chamar,’” recalls Sudheer Rajbhar. He’s a Dalit artist from Uttar Pradesh, the founder of Chamar Studio and designer of the flap chair. “Today I embrace the word that once degraded me, using my art.”
