Recycling and upcycling are the future of fashion. And what's not to love when you have Indian brands crafting stunning pieces while being ethical?
Here are our picks of homegrown labels that are upcycling fabrics into beautiful numbers.
Urban Suburban
A womenswear label that creates holiday and occasionwear, the good guys at UrbanSuburban source surplus fabric to create everything from dresses to co-ord sets and lehengas to saris. Scrolling through their website, you’ll see that they don’t just offer a diverse product portfolio, they are also a size-inclusive brand. UrbanSurburban firmly believes in slow fashion and only creates made-to-order pieces, there is no mass production here!
Doodlage
Doodlage, founded by Kriti Tula, became one of the leading pioneers of upcycling in India, much before sustainability was a part of mainstream conversation. The zero-waste brand is known to recycle post-consumer and scrap waste from factories—cleaned and panelled—into capsule collections. The brand’s USP is their patchwork creations, and you can pick from well-tailored, flared dresses, co-ord sets, tunics, and accessories. Their seasonless styles can be dressed up or down as per the occasion. By the way, most Doodlage pieces are limited edition, and available only until the raw fabric lasts, so keep your eye on what’s new.
Bodements
Divya Saini was inspired to launch Bodements after a holiday in Europe. The brand initially offered vintage pieces curated from all across the world, and eventually expanded to upcycled pieces created from old saris. Bodements’ pieces are one-of-a-kind and include flowy dresses, cropped jackets, and more, all in vivid prints. They regularly collaborate with NGO Green Yatra, to plant two trees for every purchase made, and offer custom designs, too. In fact, if you have pieces you no longer wear, they are happy to take them off your hands.
Péro
Aneeth Arora, péro’s founder, believes that upcycling is not just about preventing the temptation to buy new clothes, but also preserving old ones because they hold fond memories. péro is known for comfy silhouettes in playful colours, and each collection has a special story behind it. For their latest Autumn/ Winter collection VIBGYOR, for instance, the brand was inspired by Poland’s folk art. They also have a sub-brand called Upcycled by péro, where Aneeth only upcycles pieces that she feels an emotional connection towards.