Dilip Kapur was born in New Delhi and moved to Pondicherry at the age of six. He grew up in Sri Aurobindo Ashram, went to school at Phillips Academy, Andover, and Massachusetts. After graduating from Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA in International Affairs, he completed his PH.D at University of Denver, School of International Studies in International Affairs.

He took up a job in a leather company while pursuing his PH.D. It was during those nine months when he recognized his passion towards the art of crafting leather.

He returned to India in 1977 to live in Auroville and started Hidesign, a one-man artisan shop, as a hobby in 1978 and has since masterminded Hidesign to its current leadership position.

He still teaches students at Auroville on International affairs.