waste not, want not
DOODLAGE DESIGNER KRITI TULA
CREATES THREADS WITH A GREEN
MESSAGE.When did you start Doodlage and how has it developed since
then?Way back in 2009, I participated in a national competition
on sustainable fashion where my collection was called Doodlage.
Since then, I’ve done a lot of research on the need to adopt
more sustainable practices in fashion. I started the label in
2014, working only with up-cycled industrial scraps and recycled
fabrics – we often try to incorporate fabrics created with banana,
eucalyptus and other plant-based fibres, too. Today we’re leaders
in ethical fashion in India, strategically working to build more
awareness around sustainability.
Talk us through your approach to up-cycling. It’s impossible to
ignore the amount of fabric that goes unused every year in India,
and the scraps that end up in landfill. It’s calculated that about
16.36 per cent of fabric is wasted through mass production, which
in 2010 was about 8 billion square metres per year in just India,
Bangladesh and China. We’re focused on creating garments from
industrial scraps, and increasingly use fabrics created from post-
and pre-consumer waste, like recycled PET bottle polyester. Our
vision is to create India’s first sustainable label, giving the masses
an alternative to fast fashion.
Where did the name Doodlage come from? Each up-cycled outfit
needs special care, as you don’t know what kind of defects the
next set of scraps will come with. We have to add a little character
to each piece to make it spotless for the consumer – usually an
additional panel or a hand-embroidered detail that makes it as
individual as its wearer. So, it’s a bit like doodling.Tell us a little about your current collection. The new collection
talks about the world at war, the dying environment and the urban
chaos we live in. It brings together kilos of discarded industrial
fabrics, patched and embroidered over with prominent colours like
marsala, navy blue, sap green, charcoal and lighter undertones
of pastel blue, steel grey and beige. The techniques used in this
collection include patchwork, panelling and hand embroidery. The
busy under layers represent the current situation of urban chaos,
superimposed with delicate florals of hope.
What’s your creative space like? It’s a two-storey studio and
workshop. The first floor is where the team creates samples and
works on producing orders, and the second floor has a much-
needed garden space, plus painted walls, indoor plants and a long
table for everyone to work together. The back of the studio is where
we keep our garments for visitors and customers who drop by!
Do you see any part of your work as typically Indian? Our major
clientele is still based out of India and UAE, so I would say, in terms
of silhouettes, a large portion of the collection is created with that in
mind. The embroideries we work with are not necessarily influenced
by Indian aesthetics, but the ease at which we can incorporate
them in each collection might be Indian. As we move to expand
our presence in the international market, we foresee some minor
changes to our collections, to become more inclusive.
Where can we see more of your stuff? doodlage.in or on Instagram
@doodlageofficiallooks we like