From waste to vogue!
Looking At Waste From The Lens Of Inventiveness
When we think of fashion, all that comes to our minds are catwalks, runways, boutiques and designer dresses. But behind all that glamour and clamour, stands the second most polluting industry in the world. Alarming, isn’t it? Ashita Singhal, a fashion designer by profession came up with a solution — Paiwand, a unique initiative aimed at repurposing textile waste. Her efforts recently bagged her a spot in the Forbes India 30 Under 30 list. So, without wasting anymore time, let’s get straight to the business, because just like you, we hate waste, too!
Waste, waste, everywhere
Waste is the only raw material which is abundantly available- this is what Ashita Singhal firmly swears by. This also happens to be the thought behind ‘Paiwand’, the upcycling textile studio which she set up in 2018. Ashita realised that conscious designers do not want to shred or throw away their textile waste.
Although they are willing to upcycle, they do not have the time or resources to do so. This discovery became an impetus to understand the market gap and a business opportunity to be explored. And thus, Paiwand was born, based on the local saying ‘paiwand lagana’ meaning ‘to repair’.
“It is the very ideology behind the venture, which aims to achieve hybridising and connecting, i.e., hybridise our choices and connect with nature,” Ashita says, reiterating the need to reconsider our outlook towards waste.
Weaving the change
Ashita realised the gravity of fashion waste while she was a student at the prestigious Pearl Academy of fashion. “It was shocking, how a batch of 30 students would produce kilos of waste in a three-hour class. This prompted my research on fashion waste. The statistics were horrifying and awakening at the same time,” she recalls.
Paiwand attempts to solve the problem of textile waste with a two-pronged approach. “Our focus is to reuse fabric waste, whilst reviving handicraft techniques of India,” says Ashita. She believes that Indian heritage has always been augmented by age-old eco-friendly practices.
The upcycled products feature an array of craft practices ranging from Nakshi Kantha of West Bengal to applique and patchwork of Gujarat and Orissa, including even the rag rug weaving of Panipat. Whilst these products showcase Indian heritage, they also exemplify how dynamic textiles can be.
The runway to sustainability
Starting with a business grant of 25,000 USD by Laureate International Universities Network, USA, Paiwand has now hit the spotlight with its unique innovation supplemented by an unparalleled business model. However, every journey, especially the one embarking on change, is filled with roadblocks. Paiwand’s is no different.
Initially, it was challenging to convince weavers to use waste as a raw material to develop textiles. “The weavers considered this as my hobby and did not take my work seriously,” reveals Singhal. Her team also tells us how most of the weavers had shifted from weaving, considering its minimised potential in this mechanised era.
Thus, finding weavers in itself became a challenge. Paiwand has come a long way since then. From just two weavers from the outskirts of Delhi in 2019, it is now a team of 15 members, including weavers, artisans and tailors. Paiwand recently showcased their apparel collection at FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week 2021.
Since its inception in 2018, Paiwand has collaborated with more than 25 fashion houses, and upcycled 500 kgs of textile waste so far. During this process, it remarkably managed to prevent the emission of 5100 kgs of carbon dioxide and save more than 30 million litres of water. Sounds like a great start to save the planet, doesn’t it?
Accolades
*Elle Décor International Design Award
*Lexus India Design Award,
*India’s Best Design Project
*Elan Award for Excellence in Circularity
Suhani Sirohi
Meet Suhani Sirohi, a Class XII student from AIS Noida. A voracious reader and calligraphy dilettante, she always had a keen interest in the English language. She’s been writing reports for The Global Times since grade IX and has documented several school events in her capacity as the sub-editor.
Shubhika Garg
Meet Shubhika Garg, Alumna of Amity International School, Noida. Senior sub-editor of the school at one time, she is now studying Law to align her interests of debating and reasoning in order to uplift and empower the society. She strongly believes in changing the world with a mic in one hand and confidence in another.
