Klassik’s CSR initiatives

We at Klassik, function as a team but also as a family. When it comes to running a large business with employees from various backgrounds and strata, we believe it is essential to find ways to create bonds that make working together a smooth and seamless process. Keeping our employees happy and satisfied is a big part of our company ethos and culture.

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Apart from the regular check-ins to ensure everything is running smoothly, we also host company events that help blow off steam and create a lively, healthy environment. However, these events or activities, as we call them, are not only aimed at leisure but have certain wellness aspects to them.  

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One of the activities, which we find extremely beneficial, is the Health Camp. Many people in India do not have easy access to quality healthcare. We want our employees to be healthy and happy as they work hard to make our brand what it is. A Health Camp is conducted on a yearly basis to identify any undetected health issues that our employees might be suffering from. Furthermore, we take proactive steps to ensure the treatment of any health concern, if detected. We want to work towards a healthier future and ensure our employees’ utmost comfort and well-being.

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Another event, which is popular amongst all employees, is the Cricket Tournament. Cricket is one of the most beloved sports in India and who doesn’t love some friendly competition to distract themselves from the stress of work with an enjoyable game. We host the Cricket Tournament twice a year - during Summer and Winter, which gives our employees something to look forward to as a much-needed break from their daily routines. This event is a big team-building activity in which more and more employees seem eager to participate. Apart from promoting teamwork, playing a sport is also a great way to build physical fitness, further boosting endurance and stamina.

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International Yoga Day is observed yearly on 21st June, and we at Klassik conduct a yoga session for our employees every year. Yoga is an activity that not only boosts physical health but also mental well-being. It is important for us to ensure that our employees are looked after physically and mentally. The yoga session aims to reduce mental stress, increase energy levels and improve physical fitness as well as flexibility. Healthy employees, as it turns out, are happy employees.  

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Getting our employees together to participate in activities other than work is a great way to create a positive work culture and environment. We take the health and wellness of our employees very seriously. Most people might not have access to medical attention or have time to take a break from daily routines with yoga sessions and cricket matches but we want to ensure they receive all the attention they need.

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While keeping all customers and clients happy is a major priority for any business, one must not forget about keeping the hardworking employees happy too.

Nothing ever works without a backing, not even artificial leather. Artificial leather or PVC leather is in reality PVC coated textiles. There are layers created to achieve the final product and a very essential layer is that of a fabric backer. Let’s talk about the crucial role a fabric backer plays in the final PVC leather product.

When it comes to PVC textiles, one crucial component that is not talked about often enough is the fabric backer. This is an unseen layer in the final product and plays a pivotal role in providing structure, strength, and durability to PVC leather, making it an indispensable element and an important step during artificial leather production.

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A PVC textile without a fabric backer would be like a ship without a sail, lacking the necessary support to be a strong piece of fabric to use on a variety of furniture pieces, footwear, automotive etc. The fabric backer is what transforms a flimsy and thin PVC sheet into a robust and strong material which is capable of withstanding rigorous use and maintaining its quality as time passes.

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One of the primary functions of a fabric backer is to add strength to the PVC textile. Without it, the fabric would simply lack the necessary strength and be susceptible to easy wear and tear along with other mechanical stresses. This is why we ensure that every product has a strong and durable backing.

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Moreover, a fabric backer can also enhance the dimensional stability of artificial leather. When combined with the PVC layer, it prevents the material from warping or getting distorted when it’s exposed to varying environmental conditions, such as temperature changes or exposure to moisture. Fabric backing ensures that the fabric maintains its intended shape and appearance, contributing to its longevity and visual appeal.

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Another significant benefit of a fabric backer is that it improves the overall look and feel and handling of PVC leather. By providing a smooth and consistent surface at the back, the fabric backer truly enhances the user’s experience and makes it easier to work with the fabric while installing and maintaining it.

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So, how is a fabric backer made?

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Much like any other material, the fabric backer is made via knitting and weaving. But when it comes to the final process of how it is added to create the final PVC leather product, the process is different.

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The process typically involves geling the PVC resin on an existing fabric backer and further processing it through big ovens to get the final, desired artificial leather. A strong bond is created between the layers of the PVC resin and fabric backer to ensure they merge well together to produce the final fabric. Going through intense heat in the ovens ensures that the fabric backer is effectively reinforced in the PVC resin.

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We do customize the thickness and composition of the fabric backer to meet specific performance requirements. We work closely with our global and domestic suppliers for R&D and fabric innovation to stay up to date with what’s best out there. Having a fabric backer to create the final artificial leather products adds to the characteristics of the fabric being fire-retardant, antimicrobial, and more. However, this is not a one-step process. For example most fabrics are generally made from polyester, but to achieve the desired fire-retardant specification we blend polyester with cotton.

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In conclusion, the fabric backer is a critical component that significantly enhances the performance, durability, and versatility of all PVC leather. Without it, it’s not possible to make high-quality, long-lasting artificial leather.

Footwear has always been a fundamental part of the dynamic world of fashion. With an array of styles and materials available, consumers expect not only trendy designs but also high-quality products that prioritise comfort, safety, and durability, which is why our clients at Klassik request the same. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recently stepped in to ensure that footwear manufacturing adheres to certain strict quality standards. We live in an ever-changing world and are always expected to adjust to the ‘new normal’. That being said, as a company, Klassik always ensures that adjusting to novelty is a seamless process for us as well as our clients.

The BIS, or Bureau of Indian Standards, is a national body in India responsible for setting standards for various products, including footwear. These mandatory quality standards are created to ensure that small-scale, medium-scale and large-scale footwear manufacturers produce safe, reliable, and high-quality products. These various norms for footwear manufacturing encompass a wide range of aspects, including material specifications, testing procedures, and labelling requirements.

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“The standards prescribe what kind of raw material like leather, PVC, and rubber to be used in manufacturing footwear besides norms on making soles and heels, among other parts of the footwear.” says an article in The Economic Times.

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This step is essentially being taken so that India can maintain the same quality standards that you see globally. As a country, we are growing and evolving and want to maintain the same standards as our peers.

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As per the norms BIS all PVC products are now meant to be phthalate-free. Phthalates are a group of synthetic chemicals that are used to manufacture a wide range of products and are now banned from the PVC industry. They have many harmful side effects and we as a company stand against using chemicals that don’t benefit our clients in any way whatsoever.

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Another part of the BIS norm states that the tearing strength of PVC products used as uppers should be more than 3kg to ensure durability, which essentially means that a force of 3kg or greater needs to be applied to tear the PVC textile through and through. For this reason, all products manufactured by us follow this norm very specifically and are termed as high-tear.

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The change in norms made by the BIS did create a buzz in the manufacturing industry however, for us at Klassik, we were more than accommodating to this development. Klassik possesses all the required equipment and machinery to adhere to these standard norms. The PVR leather we manufacture for footwear already meets the requirements of these norms due to the state-of-the-art infrastructure we have invested in.

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As a company, we believe in investing in the future, and that mindset has stood advantageous to us today as we can seamlessly adjust to the changing and upgrading norms of the industry and supply only the best material to our clientele in India and abroad. This is also the reason why the new BIS norms do not pose a threat to our production process, or change in prices. Thus maintaining the same high-quality standards without anything affecting our relationship with our clients and factory workers.