Sustainable fashion in India is in its nascent stage and vastly comprises of unorganized sector. Consumers here have a high purchasing affinity (87%)* but lack of awareness of sustainable brands (83%)*. The sustainable products don’t mention the impact contribution. Also, the products are not truly what the brands claim to be. Considering the bleak scenario of sustainable fashion in India, many start-ups are wary of taking a plunge into this sector. However, a few daring ventures have embraced the challenges and opportunities presented by sustainable fashion.

Soon to be launched, UpcycleLuxe is an emerging player that is all set to redefine luxury fashion by creating an ethical, sustainable and eco-efficient textile & apparel industry. The company believes that eco-friendly products should reflect sustainability in their value. The main vision is to build a huge sustainable fashion & lifestyle community, by offering disruptive technologies, enabling innovative and transformative ways of sustainable fashion through the process of change by adding value at each step of our product development.

UpcycleLuxe: Changing the face of sustainable fashion

For the founder Harshita Chandra, the journey started while working for huge labels in the fashion industry when she realized that a huge amount of industry-waste was being dumped into the landfills annually. Other problems in the supply chain became all-too evident. A lot of finger-pointing happens with consumers blaming brands for paying low wages to outsource workers and activist organizations urging brands to follow a business model that prioritizes low-cost profits. In fact, the fashion industry is the second most polluting in the world, though 82% of the people don’t consider fashion a contributor.

Harshita further added “That’s when I found an upcycle homegrown fashion label where we used factory waste to manufacture bags and accessories. Since the concept of sustainability was new, we manufactured a capsule collection for a few designers back then. I soon figured out that the industry is unorganized and the chapter of sustainability can’t be heard alone. So I came up with the idea of bringing together all sustainable brands on a single platform which believes sustainability is just not a trend but a lifestyle where indulgence in intricacies brings in each product a luxury makeover. “

Thus, along with the co-founder Shubham Jain, she started the journey of creating a sustainable fashion platform UpcycleLuxe, that integrated science-based sustainable target solutions into it.

UpcycleLuxe: Where Green is the new Luxury

UpcycleLuxe is redefining the views on luxury fashion by calling ‘Green is the new Luxury’. It is a one-stop fashion-tech sustainable platform for clothing and accessories that pushes to live a low-impact lifestyle. It will connect consumers with home- grown brands that create innovative products using organic fabrics & industry waste. On-board brands are certified organic and practice transparent supply chain. They will ensure science-based sustainability target solutions on the platform making the platform the only one of its kind.

A Go-Green Future

By 2025, UpcycleLuxe would cater to 1 billion consumers to convert their buying decision to sustainable. Though based primarily in India, the company will consider reaching out to foreign markets depending on revenue and customer response.

To know more visit – https://www.upcycleluxe.com/

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Our ancient history is laden with significant references to exquisite jewels and precious stones being used as fashion statements. The art of dressing up wouldn’t have been half as fun and exciting if not for those pretty, eye-catching jewelry in varied forms and colors. Several startup enterprises have emerged over the last decade, trying to make the most of India’s love for fashion jewelry.

Launched in November 2016 by the fiercely independent and passionate founder Yashi Jena, High On Design (HOD) Juels is a startup that deals in luxurious fashion jewelry delicately designed and embellished with cubic zircons and semiprecious stones. Within a short period, the brand has made quite a mark in the industry.

High On Design Juels: How the tale began

Yashi loved how jewelry design gave her the freedom to express and experiment. The magical transformation of an idea into a piece of art fascinated her. She explains “Having an enriching experience of the Telecom industry for over 8 years managing the product and marketing, I had to quit the industry post my delivery in Feb 2016. Being independent all my life, I refused to sit idle and thought of starting up my passion of fashion jewelry with the vision of making the pieces that look real but reasonable!”

Yashi finally established HOD Juels, a brand that’s all about beautifully translating a design from a sketch to a well-researched charmingly handcrafted piece of art that is cherished by the valued customers for its contemporary and timeless quality. 

High On Design Juels: Where jewelry creation is more of an art than an enterprise

High On Design Juels manifests in its designs the power of freedom and individuality. Each design embodies the philosophy of originality and uniqueness; the jewelry is minimalistic, pragmatic, clean and contemporary. It uses an amalgamation of metals like silver, brass and gold making each piece an extraordinary creation of exquisite design and luxury. High quality stones and metal are used to avoid tarnishing for a longer period.

Hand-crafted to perfection, each gorgeous piece of limited edition jewelry tells the tale of the expert artisanal quality and unparalleled design that translates each piece of jewelry into a work of art.

With an emphasis on clean cuts, elegant motifs & fine detailing, Brand HOD strives to blend tradition with contemporary luxury for the versatile woman of today. It draws inspiration from the rich cultural roots, architecture, travel, and indigenous art forms from around the world.

Carving a bright future

Although the journey wasn’t a smooth one, Yashi and her team successfully turned the roadblocks into milestones. She elaborates “Often, we felt there is too much competition in the market for the same. But we believed in our product and the multiplication of our loyal clients helped us grow vertically. We do not fear competition as we keep upgrading as per the market and the customer needs.”

Besides India, the startup has made significant progress in the USA, Singapore and UAE.

Finally, an ever-enthusiastic Yashi signs off saying “We aim to take the brand completely online and make the brand available in every corner of the country and expand to many more countries.”

To know more visit – www.hodjuels.com

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“Interiors shouldn’t be static works of art. You’re meant to interact with them.” – Alexandra Angle

Beautiful homes don’t just happen. They require meticulous planning and execution. More than a fat bank balance, what matters most is the aesthetic sensibility to understand and imbibe the spirit of the dwelling space. This is one of the most interesting aspects of interior designing. It’s not just about decking up spaces with pretty artefacts but more importantly, making the place come alive. Due to a fast-growing real-estate sector, plush designer studios have cropped up in most of the metropolitan cities across India.

One of the most sought after design studios in recent times, Mumbai-based RDS Design Studio has successfully carved out a niche for itself by infusing a unique blend of subtlety and bling that is as distinctive as its appealing. Founded in 2014 by Drashti Parikh and Shweta Makwana, RDS Design Studio has achieved the exceptional feat of completing over 100 projects including both residential and commercial establishments.

How the success story unfolded

The dynamic duo of Drashti and Shweta always had an unwavering dedication and strong willpower to make things happen. Prior to taking a plunge to collaborate and start their own studio, both had worked with reputed firms and gained sufficient experience. Parikh had worked with celebrity designer and founder of NVS Design Studio, Namrata Shroff. Meanwhile, Makawana, an alumnus of Rachna Sansad and also a commerce graduate had worked at an architectural and design firm H.M. Jhaveri & Sons before taking a leap as an entrepreneur along with Parikh. 

RDS Studio : Helping you create beautiful interiors of your dreams

RDS Design Studio is one name that commands respect and admiration from its customers as well as its competitors for the amazing work that it has done so far. It specializes in design development and beautification of commercial, residential, kids’ furniture, kids spaces and hospitality projects. Over the six years of its establishment, it has successfully transformed a plethora of spaces from offices to restaurants/cafes and homes. For any interior designing firm to flourish, it has to latch on to the pulse of its clients and consumers. The unique quality of the creative duo is that they design spaces understanding the clients and kids psychology – how they function, what they want, what appeals to them and what is the overall vision.

Here comes the awesome twosome

According to Shweta Makawana (28 years), co-founder of RDS Design Studio, her personal design style involves playing with lines, especially straight lines which is the most versatile design element and also the basis of any form of design. In one sentence her style mantra is, “Make it simple, but significant.” “For us, simplicity of design to create beautiful spaces which appeal to its social and physical context is most important,” said Drashti Parikh (29 years), an alumna of Rachna Sansad. “I love travelling and knowing a new culture and history of those places. Somehow, those experiences get imbibed in my work.” 

Now the parting shot….

Amidst the growing uncertainty that has gripped the nation, thanks to Covid-19, one thing that keeps the studio going is the absolute trust reposed in them by the loyal clients. This is what has earned through years of honesty and hard work. “Our clients often tell us that we can keep things traditional, but make it a place where they can be Zen,” said the duo who have designed several homes and workplaces for many celebrities including from Bollywood, Sports, Legal and from the world of business but due to client confidentiality they can’t reveal those works. 

To know more visit – https://instagram.com/rds_redefining__design_style?igshid=mqj124rwmo9p

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The concept of decorating interiors is not a new one. No, we haven’t suddenly woken up to the importance of beautifying our homes and ensuring sanctity of the spaces that we live in. However, thanks to scores of interior decoration enterprises that have cropped up in the last couple of years, we are now spoilt for choice. Today we can doll up our homes as per our aesthetic sensibilities without denting a big hole in the pocket.

Launched on 11th January, 2010 by Sanjana Bahl, Nostalgia Enterprises is one of the most promising names that is gradually creating waves in the market. The main aim of the venture is to help transform interiors of both Indoor and Outdoor Spaces with elegant Home Decor Pieces, Bespoke Furniture and Home Accessories.

Laying the foundation stone of a dream

For founder, Sanjana, the journey has been as exciting as it’s been challenging. Starting a new venture right from scratch is no mean feat. She began by sourcing decor pieces from various places across India and abroad. In fact, her search for unique, eye-catching decorative pieces took her to various South East Asian countries and soon she started supplying to well-established home decor stores. Rest of the story, the spunky lady would narrate in her own words.

“I realized that the orders increased and the pieces were really being appreciated and at that point I realized I should start my own venture and Nostalgia Enterprises was born. Initially I only started with Home Decor Pieces for Indoor Spaces, soon we started with small furniture pieces like coffee tables, two seaters, center tables and consoles.”

Building a dream brick by brick

After overcoming several hurdles, Sanjana finally opened her first store in Worli,Mumbai. Like any entrepreneur with a sharp business acumen, Sanjana’s next obvious step was expansion of the products range to include furniture and large sculptures.  However, there were constraints for space. Around this time, friends and family had second homes in Alibag and she got a lot of orders for large Sculpture pieces and Outdoor Furniture for their homes.

She further says “I realized Alibag had no home decor store so I decided to move my venture to Alibag and into a larger space. We are now located in Zirad, Alibag and we do Decor Pieces and Bespoke Furniture in a variety of materials and sizes for both Indoor and Outdoor spaces as well as some beautiful Home Accessories and Giftables too. We have also opened a small store on Mandwa Jetty 3 years ago besides our Flagship store in Zirad, Alibag which was opened 10 years ago.”

Nostalgia Enterprises: Helping you create a home sweet home

Nostalgia Enterprises is ten-year old interior decoration startup that serves as a One Stop Shop for people with Second Homes where clients are looking for a lot of Outdoor Furniture as well as Fibre and Stone Statues and Fountains to enhance their Outdoor Spaces as well their indoor spaces. Instead of hopping from one shop to the next, they find it convenient when everything is under one roof. Due to a surge in demand, deliveries are done all over India and the clients are mostly people with second homes and also resorts.

Planning for a better tomorrow

Beating the blues of slow economy and the ongoing Covid pandemic, Sanjana is optimistic about the future.

About her future plans, she says “I’ve been thinking of taking my venture online for a long time but during this pandemic I realized this is the only way forward and we are working very hard on getting it up as soon as possible and shortly we’ll be online. In 5 years we definitely plan to increase our reach across India with our products going online and keep increasing our product range and hope to be a household name.”

To know more visit – http://www.nostalgiaenterprises.com

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How many of us are aware of the rich textile heritage of India? Our love for Indian weaves is restricted to a few occasions when we flaunt handloom sarees and kurtas to validate our Indianness. There are only a handful of retail outlets which have established their brand simply on the strength of the beautiful textiles and unique weaves that this country offers.

Launched on 1st Jan 2018 by a former IT professional Ranjani Narayanan, Madras High Street is a retail brand that celebrates Indian heritage in all its finery. It offers a diverse array of locally woven clothing that not only showcases the amazing craftsmanship of Indian weavers but also contributes to their economic upliftment. In fact, Madras High Street aspires to be an ethical, weaver-friendly and customer-friendly, environmentally sustainable enterprise that would help transform the lives of weavers across India.

The first chapter of an incredible story

Setting up a business, especially an unconventional one, requires great willpower, fierce determination and of course a solid conviction in your dreams. Ranjani’s story epitomizes all these and more. Her journey from an IT-professional to an entrepreneur wasn’t merely a cakewalk.

In her own words, she says “I had worked in the IT Industry for over 14 years. Sure, having a steady and stable job gave me access to regular earnings, yet the monotony of it all was too much, and each day felt exactly like the other. My soul was highly dissatisfied. My grandfather had owned a textile shop and my grandmother had always told me she saw me running my own business one day. Though it was an extremely tough decision, with courage in my heart and a need to do something better, I went to my hometown. Once there, I interacted with a few weavers who were dealt with injustice by the capitalist society. With every handwoven saree, which took a whole of 4 days, they gained minimum profit, while the retailers or the brands gained too much. All that honest effort was never enough to bring in either money or even recognition.”

“Through them, I knew what I was going to do. I had always had a passion for dressing up and so I began ‘Madras High Street’ and began with selling these sarees sometimes even with zero profit to build a trusting client base. Slowly I had enough clients and I made sure to keep my profit margin to the minimum to help these extremely talented weavers. I took up social media as my tool of marketing and began working to the best of my abilities. With my family supporting me, I began to feel more confident about myself.”

Madras High Street: Weaving a dream of possibilities

Madras High Street is an online boutique that sells handwoven sarees and designer jewelry. The sarees are bought, without the involvement of any middleman, directly from the skilled weavers across India. This helps provide market price to weavers enabling them to sustain their business and livelihood and at the same time, making these beautiful creations accessible to customers without incurring any additional overheads.

As Ranjani rightly said “Our mission is not to make profits and transform into retail business. This sets us apart in the market and earns the trust of customers who reach out to us instead of the overpriced retailers.”

The startup is based out of Chennai with a pan India and global customer base. In order to cater to the needs and wants of buyers, product customization is also done. All one has to do is simply DM the MadrasHighStreet on Instagram.

Thoughts about the future

The superior product quality laced with impeccable customer service has ensured a sustainable client base many of whom are repeat customers. The future goal is to expand this customer base and create an environment friendly enterprise that would inspire others to run a business venture while giving back something to the society. Lastly, Ranjini’s golden words sum up the company’s aspirations. ‘Be Honest. Be Ethical. It might not give you a million today, but tomorrow it will.’

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