Go Green In Style
THESE HOMEGROWN ONLINE VENTURES ARE BENT ON PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE AND ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY FASHION.
These homegrown online ventures are promoting sustainable and environment friendly fashion.
Jute Jargon
While studying in Iowa, USA, Samriddh Burman, 30, felt the need to do something positive for the planet. His family had been in the jute business for many years and therefore he picked this eco- friendly natural fibre, the eponymous burlap, as his medium for making a statement. “I was aware of the true potential of jute, often seen as a cheap and commonplace,” says Burman, who started The Burlap People to make aesthetically designed bespoke jute bags.
Bagged his Team Soon after, Burman's friend Rewant Lokesh, 27, and Karuna Parikh, 33, a former model and a committed campaigner joined in. Along with their head craftsman, Nuruddin, they turn out a range of handcrafted bags made with jute that is first dyed and then washed to make it softer. The colour story is earthy but cheery and only recycled leather is used. “We offer vegan leather options and customisation is our biggest strength,” informs Lokesh.
Simple, user- friendly, gender and style neutral, TBP bags have a global appeal not only for its ‘ green’ status but also for their style quotient. TBP showcases and sells their offerings through social media, particularly Instagram.
Wood in Vogue
From notebooks and phone covers to stylish frames for sunglasses and spectacles— The Woodgeek Store turns out a quirky range of products, all made out of wood. The brainchild of Cooch Behar boy Saikat Saha, 32, whose family has been in the plywood manufacturing business for a long time, Woodgeek Store is committed to making wood look cooler.
A Responsible Call Interestingly, Saha and his team, while making wood fashion-
are also conscious of the effects of using wood as a raw material on the environment. Passionate advocates of environmentfriendly solutions and sustainability, they have made conscious effort to turn their venture into an eco- friendly, sustainable endeavour.
“We work mostly with bamboo, a fast growing and ecologically sustainable plant. Our hardwood timber is purchased from suppliers with certified sustainable sources and we en- sure that there is minimum wastage,” says Saha. He claims that only UV cured and water- based varnish that is low on harmful VOC ( volatile organic compounds) emissions is used on the products. You could take your pick from bamboo sunglasses, bamboo notebooks with pages made out of recycled paper, quirky wooden bowties, bamboo posters and phone cases with stylish engravings. All products can be personalised. Details woodgeekstore. com
Wear Vegan
In March 2015, Kolkata- based Manish Pareek bumped into one of the most popular vegan- crusaders in the country, Anand Siva, at a conference. The very next day, Pareek, who was a a vegetarian, turned vegan. “Siva’s insights on veganism had tremendous influence on me,” says Pareek, 29. He always felt the urge to bring a change in people’s perception and attitude towards animal rights and the environment. Veganism gave his vision a direction.
A Load off Feet He realised changing food habits was not enough. “Why not start with what people wear?” he thought. Visits to tanneries had exposed him to the alarming effects of the leather industry on both animals and the environment. By the end of 2015, Pareek launched Vegan Fashion Private Limited along with his cousin Mayank Jain, 25,— dedicated to making shoes with PETA approved vegan alternative of leather, with the motto—‘ saving the planet one shoe at a time’. “The material is made out of polymere fibre and can be mistaken for real leather. Even our workers refuse to believe that it’s not leather,” he adds.
Pareek currently imports the material from Korea. “We are developing a material that would be better suited to our weather conditions,” he informs. Pareek’s collection of sandals, slip- ons and formal shoes for men, casual wallets and belts is available online, under the label NOHIDE at
vegshoes. in and Amazon. com.