In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, Indian startups are leading the charge by ingeniously transforming waste into fashion. From discarded fish skins to banana stem fibers, these innovative companies are redefining the concept of eco-friendly style. Here is a selection of Indian startups pioneering the fusion of fashion and sustainability, showcasing how creativity and resourcefulness can reshape the industry while promoting environmental consciousness.
Goya Swim Company – Goya Swim Company, founded by Riya Mazumdar, an environmental activist, specialises in creating sustainable swimwear for both genders. Operating under the brand Goyaswim.Co, they utilise recycled plastic bottles and ocean-sourced post-industrial waste to craft eco-friendly swimwear. With a focus on luxury fashion that’s also eco-conscious, Goya Swim Co. aims to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact by decreasing plastic pollution with each swimsuit sale. Through innovative methods like Repreve, they extract approximately 29 plastic bottles from the ocean for each swimwear item manufactured.
Eco line – The eco line brand produces affordable hybrid fabric fashion garments by blending organic cotton with fibres derived from recycled PET bottles, which typically take around 400 years to decompose. Employing innovative dope dye technology, their production process eliminates the need for water in textile dyeing, a process that conventionally consumes 2.4 trillion gallons annually. Founded by the father-son duo K Sankar and Senthil Sankar, the brand specialises in sustainable clothing such as jackets, blazers, T-shirts, and bottoms crafted from recycled PET bottles. Each T-shirt requires approximately eight PET bottles, while a jacket and blazer use around 20 and 30 bottles, respectively. Through their efforts, they prevent an estimated 15 lakh PET bottles from entering landfills and oceans daily.
Mayu – Mayu is a luxury lifestyle brand founded by Mayura Davda Shah, focusing on sustainability by utilising discarded fish skin waste to create sleek leather products. The brand sources materials ethically from cruelty-free leather-making companies, incorporating elements like salmon and wolfish fish skin waste, as well as pineapple waste. Mayura’s inspiration stemmed from her time in Iceland, where she discovered the Nordic tradition of upcycling fish skins, dating back thousands of years, leading her to integrate responsible design principles into the brand’s ethos. Mayu’s creations have been showcased on international runways in Paris and Hungary.
Malawa Kela Resa Utpadan Laghu Udyog Kendra – Malawa Kela Resa Utpadan Laghu Udyog Kendra, led by Ravi Prasad in Uttar Pradesh, transforms banana stem waste into various handicraft products such as footwear, hats, bags, and sanitary napkins. Additionally, Prasad supplies banana stem fibres to a company for producing biodegradable textiles. This startup pioneers the utilisation of banana stem fibres in Uttar Pradesh, offering a range of products including clothes and carpets crafted from banana waste.