It All Began Before “Sustainability” Was a Buzzword

A little throwback story on Earth Day – about how I moved into the slow/conscious/sustainable space.

Apr 22, 2025

I’ll admit it—I've grown to dislike the word sustainability. Not because I don’t believe in it, but because it’s been overused, commercialized, and sometimes stripped of the meaning it truly deserves.

But back in 2012, in my last year of fashion college, sustainability wasn’t a buzzword. It wasn’t trending on social media or stamped across brand campaigns. It was simply a choice I made for my final graduation project—to creatively reuse waste that was already available in abundance.

That choice turned into something much bigger than I imagined.

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Original artwork by Radhika Jain for Kaizen the label

A college project, a pile of forgotten scraps.

It all started with upcycling! - A method of reusing waste to create products of higher value.

As a final assignment in college, we had to design five complete ensembles for our graduation collection. While most of my classmates headed straight for new fabric, I gravitated toward what was already around—the leftovers in our garment construction lab.

I made a collection that was entirely made from Fabric Scraps!

Every evening for two to three months, I’d collect scraps from the lab before it was cleaned. The rags left behind by others became my material. Slowly, through patchwork and applique, those bits turned into something meaningful—my final collection, which I titled Rags to Riches.

Eventually, even my classmates began handing me their leftover fabrics. I didn’t spend a single rupee on materials. But what I gained was far more valuable—a deep understanding that textile waste isn’t waste at all.

At my graduation show, with the Rags to Riches collection.

At the time, I didn’t even realize I was taking my first step into sustainable fashion. I just wanted to come up with a decent collection and graduate.

But I ended up learning a lesson that has stayed with me ever since:

Textile waste isn’t waste at all.

That lesson became a part of who I am.

Since then, I haven’t been able to discard a single piece of fabric without thinking of how it might still be useful.

A pile of leftover fabrics that were eventually upcycled into clothes.

Founding a Sustainable Fashion Label in India

In 2015, I officially launched my label—driven by the same instinct to work with what we already have and treat waste with care and creativity.

Around that time, the fashion world had started waking up to the industry’s environmental cost. Upcycled fashion was finding its voice again. And traditional practices of reuse, repair, and resourcefulness were being celebrated once more.

It felt like the perfect moment to root the label in Indian craft, slow fashion, and eco-conscious choices—led by values, not trends.

Chaitali, an artisan who did embroidery for my label.

I have since been working with local craftspeople, embracing age-old Indian heritage craftsmanship and traditions of reuse, and weaving them into thoughtful, slow-made garments. I upcycle production waste and high-quality handloom surplus into small, limited collections.

We don’t call ourselves perfect—but we are conscious. We’re intentional. And we’re always trying to reduce what we waste. Every fabric scrap still gets a second chance—just like it did back in college.

This journey didn’t stop at design school or stay within the boundaries of work—it’s filtered into how I live, how I consume, and how I make choices every day. But that story deserves a space of its own and is for another time :)

Earth Day Thoughts & A Small Invitation

This Earth Day, I just wanted to share how a pile of rags, some curiosity, and a whole lot of stitching became the beginning of something far more meaningful.

A trip to a rural village in Assam where I learnt about natural dyeing.

If you’re interested in how clothes & crafts can tell better stories—for people, planet, and purpose — I invite you to join me as I will be writing more about my experiences as a designer and share my learnings with you. These stories won’t be preachy with jargon - but tales of celebration and awareness about craftsmanship and heritage, and its less-highlighted connection with environmental well-being.

See you next week! :)

I am Namrata Gohain, a designer-turned-storyteller, writer and content producer. I document stories on responsible travel, crafts, cuisine, slow living and my creative journey.

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