S4 Ep.6 - Inside a Leather Workshop: Tools, Time, and Texture. A chat with Shanti Ganesha from Meracu
In this episode of Venice Talks, Monica meets Shanti Ganesha, founder of Meracu, a contemporary leather workshop in Venice.
We talk about the first moment leather felt like a language, the leap that led to opening a workshop in 2022, and how living between Venice and India shapes a design identity that feels built into every piece, not added on.
From material to method, we explore how a hide is chosen, what certified vegetable tanned leather changes over time, and why some steps cannot be rushed. We also get into the unseen side of independent craft: refusing serial production, learning to say no, and answering the question every artisan hears sooner or later, “Can you make it exactly the same?”
A conversation about hands, time, and integrity, with Venice as a living backdrop where making still means something.
Show key notes
- Shanti Ganesha, founder of Meracu, on building a leather workshop in Venice (2022)
- Between Venice and India: how heritage becomes structure, not decoration
- Choosing a hide, reading grain and scars, and working with certified vegetable tanned leather
- The slow step you cannot rush and the signature gesture that reveals the maker
- Refusing serial production, learning to say no, and answering “Can you make it identical?”
- Looking ahead: collaborations, apprentices, and a five year vision for the workshop
Call to action
🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you tune in.
✨ Credits:
Hosted by Monica Cesarato
Produced by Monica Cesarato, Sentire Media
Guest: Shanti Ganesha from Meracu
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