Fashion with a social conscience
Chennai-based designer Priyanjoli Basu is propagating sustainable fashion through her brand.
In a world piling up with fast fashion clothes - for the uninitiated, these are inexpensive, mass-produced clothes catering to latest trends - sustainability is the watchword for Chennai-based designer Priyanjoli Basu.
Sustainability has been a buzzword only for the past year or so, but Priyanjoli focussed on it way back - in 2012! “When I was getting into business, I wanted to give back and not harm the planet,” she says.
“We grew up wearing clothes that were tailored by our mothers. We would wear them for years and pass them down to our siblings. That wasn't a concept that correlated with fast fashion”, says Priyanjoli.
She started her eponymous brand, ‘Priyanjoli’, with a clear vision of knitting sustainability and social responsibility. She realized that single-use products were a waste. “I had been working as a stylist in the industry for a long time and we realized that we didn't use fast fashion products more than once,” says Priyanjoli
“As far as clothes are considered, I did not want to createthings that end up in a landfill. So we decided to work with collections that are very thoughtful, textiles that are designed and made in villages where the weavers are empowered and their families are taken care of”, explains the designer.
Inspired by the rich customs of India, Priyanjoli collaborates with a cluster of artisans and weavers. The brand strives to bridge a gap between traditional techniques and the rapid evolution of modern fashion in India.She says, “I am extremely inspired by old textiles that were handed down to my grandmother and mother.”
“We work with colours that aren't very trendy since we always try to work with natural dyesand avoid chemicals that are harmful,” says the designer, explaining why the predominant hues of the brand are grey, maroon, brown and olive green.
The fashion line has an incredible online presence with the collection ranging from tunics and dresses to sarees and blouses. It is characterised by distinct prints of stripes, ikat weaves, checks, florals and solid colours.