Source: www.iwasasari.

com

Sustainability aspects of the

brand- I was a Sari
by Aditya Mehta
(Md/17/17)
Procured saris in the workshop
Source: www.iwasasari.com

Working at an NGO in Mumbai, Italian this brand. Hence, the name I was a sari
designer Stefano Funari observed that
the NGO was funded well but was not
able to sustain it. This economical in-
stability of the NGO worked as seed to
open a venture that would help the NGO
and eventually the women associated
with it. This venture took shape in the
form of a private limited company that
runs a brand called I was a sari.
I was a Sari is a slow and sustainable
fashion and accessories label based out
of Mumbai. The label upcycles India’s
most favourite textile- Saris and turns
them into various lifestyle products. The
Sari and upcycling are the core pillars of
came into existence.
Each Sari that goes through this met-
amorphosis has a story to tell; of how
it got re-invented, and how the women
re-inventing it went through their own
transformational journey of empower-
ment and financial independence.
Sustainable practices:
I was a sari was built on an idea of cre-
ating avenues for economical sustaina-
bility of an NGO and hence it has been
following all the steps that leads towards
a sustainable brand. The brand is ma-
jorly involved in empowering women
and giving them employment; eventual-
ly trying to empower children of these
women. The label has collaborated with
two NGOs CORP- community Out-
reach program and ACT- Andheri Char-
ity Trust. Here the collaboration is not
just limited to provide vocational train-
ing to the women associated with these
NGOs but also providing work after the Employed women in the studio.
training period is over.
The brand also looks into the economi-
cal aspects of sustainability. The brand
is child of a public listed company,
where the dividend to the investors is
only given in equals to the investment.
All the interests and other form of prof-
its are used to maintain and expand the
brand, by which eventually they sustain
the economy of all the employees.
In this report I will emphasise on the
Environmental aspects of the sustaina-
bility.
Master tailor in the studio.
source: self clicked
source: self clicked
Environmental sustainability:
I was a Sari deals with all three pillars
of sustainability. While the initial idea
of the brand was being developed, the
raw material had to be selected. The
founders of this brand wanted the wom-
en associated with it have some connec-
tion with the materials. As these women
came from traditional mumbaikar back-
ground, Sari, the most beloved textile
of this subcontinent was selected as the
material to be worked with.
The label uses pre owned and loved
saris and by upcycling them creates
new products. The entire process starts
with procurement of these saris from
local markets like ‘Chor bazaar’ and
‘Crawford market’. Once these saris are
brought to the working studio based in
Wadala, a quality check is done. Saris are
segregated based on colours and farics.
These saris are washed and looked for
any defects. Saris with defects are used
to make small products like hair bands,
pouches and necklaces. The good stock
is used to make scarves, stoles, bags and
nightwear.

Stocked Saris in the studio
source: self clicked
By upcycling the pre owned saris; the
brand incorporates the recycling aspects
of sustainability. The core idea becomes
expanding the life cycle of the fabric
by reusing it and creating different prod-
ucts. The effect of these products is that
the fabric which was discarded by their
owner is being used again and the time
of getting into landfill is delayed.
The brand also deals with the remains
or ‘Chindi’ fabrics left out after using it
for making products. These Chindi fab-
rics are donated to another NGO called
‘Gunj’. Gunj works with chindi fabrics
procured from fashion labels and appar-
el manufacturers and makes low- cost,
eco friendly sanitary pads. By this col-
laboration, I was a Sari achieves their
zero waste policy.
The brand continues to collaborate with
other labels working with the similar
core values and interest. For example, I
was a Sari has collaborated with a bag Worker washing saftey belts
making label named 959. This label source: self clicked
makes bags out of safety belts and other
sustainable materials. A capsule collec-
tion is launched in collaboration of these
two brands.
Invisible materials:
While speaking about the environmen-
tal sustainability, the invisible materials
for this brand are electricity, fuel, water
etc. The unit is set up in a commercial
complex- Wadala Udhyog Bhawan. By
doing this the brand has managed to cut
down cost on construction and other as-
pects. The work palce is utilized well.
The space is designed in a way that it
functions well.
Throughout the work process, fuel as an
invisible material is used at most. The
work flow is such where the pre-own sa-
ris are brought to the studio in Wadala.
After the quality check and other pro-
cesses all these fabrics are sent to the
production units situated in Andheri,
Dharavi, Thane and Jogeshwari. All the
employed women visit these units as per
their schedule. The finished garment is
then sent back to the studio in wadala
Storage area Stitching unit
source: self clicked source: self clicked

where packaging is done. ablility, Social, economical and Envi-

The target markets of this brand are the
US, Europe and some domestic retail
stores. Most of their products are ex-
ported to these foreign countries. And
that adds on to the consumption of fuel.
In domestic market stores are located
in places like Artisans Mumbai, Delhi,
Kolkata and Pondicherry etc.
ronment. The brand tries to find balance
among these three and expand its reach.
The label is well received and encour-
aged by leading global brands like Guc-
ci. I was a sari continues to collaborate
and achieve their sustainability goals.

Another invisible material is water

which is used during the initial stage
of the process. It is used to wash the
saris procured from the markets and
make them reusable. For the collabora-
tion with label 959, safety belts are also
washed in the design studio.

In conclusion, the brand I was a Sari

works on a triple bottom line of sustain-