From poverty to riches: an Indian designer discovers a long-term path to high fashion

6 November 2021, Mumbai:

As a sustainable alternative to high-end clothing, an Indian designer is piecing together fashion wear for men and women using discarded scraps of cloth. headquartered in New Delhi Doodlage, Kriti Tula's fashion line, gathers fabric waste from factories that have been abandoned due to small flaws and stitches it together to make flowing skirts and sarees that sell for around $100 each.

Tula said the label, which includes a men's collection with patchwork shirts with denim strips, came about as a result of her concern about global warming and the fashion industry's environmental effect.

The designer claimed she had experienced the environmental cost of high fashion firsthand while working at large textile export houses: waste of material and water, as well as chemicals generated during the manufacturing process.

Tula told Reuters during her workshop in the capital that "what we wear eventually affects everything we eat, consume, and breathe." According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the $2.4 trillion global fashion business contributes for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, which is more than all international flights and marine shipping combined.

The industry is also the world's second-largest water user, producing around 20% of the world's wastewater, according to the report.

Tula explained that obtaining the scraps proved difficult at first, and that the product pricing had to be more than what many purchasers thought was reasonable for recycled clothing. Her company has gradually attracted like-minded vendors and collaborators, she added. Her label manufactures soft toys, bags, wallets, and paper out of surplus fabric in addition to clothing.

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