Doodlage And Their Fashionable Approach To Upcycling

The good old adage ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ has been given a fresh breath of life by Doodlage, one of the freshest and fashion-forward Indian labels today. Its original stylings notwithstanding, what truly sets its apart from all its numerous contemporaries is its upcycling model. We got talking to members of the Doodlage team to understand their process and inspiration, what they’ve got in store for us this year, and their crowdfunding campaign, the details of which are below.

During one of her first internships, Kriti, the founder of Doodlage witnessed the large-scale production of fashion garments, and was shocked to discover the amount of good quality fabric that was going to waste on a daily basis - fabric that could easily be put to better use. She says, “This thought was one that remained in my head for long after the internship got over, and over the next few years I worked with upcycling-based projects. It was only natural that I carried the idea forward for my Wills Debut, where I made a collection called Doodlage - which is where the brand started.” The brand has since held recycling and sustainability at its core, with a primary focus on women’s apparel.

With inspiration drawn from the fabric itself, versatility is a virtue found within each weave. When asked about their design process, Kriti tells us that “A traditional, linear design process doesn’t work with us - there’s no point designing something only to find out that that particular kind of fabric isn’t available. So instead, we collect fabric, and see what can be made using it. It is always challenging, but also an immensely satisfying process.” This explains why each piece of clothing is completely unique in its own right. Each collection is an amalgamation of several stories, and the team told us that it all begins with “grouping fabrics that work well together - and whatever gets left over is used to make newer textures and products. Due to the large amount of fabric that is wasted during production, we have a lot of variety to choose from, and are able to pick fabrics that work together.”

We were particularly interested in their SS17 collection, which is slightly different from everything else they’ve done. Kriti explained that “For SS17 we worked with a lot of lightweight fabric and worked with a lot of fun, interesting techniques like reverse applique, cutouts, and shadow work. The vibe and appeal of Doodlage remains the same though - fun, youthful and easy.” Another element of interest is Doodlages’ constant drive towards being more sustainable in their art. Right from their last season, Kriti told us that they started working with organic and natural fabrics, such as organic cotton, and corn and banana fabrics, as an extension of the line.

There are plenty of ways we as consumers can help reduce wastage too - it all comes down to the choices we make. We asked Kriti for advice, and she said “The easiest way to be sustainable in your fashion choices is to take care of what you already own - and not discard clothes after a few times of wearing. It is a good idea to buy clothes that you know will wear over and over again - something that fits well and complements your personal style - we have all been guilty of buying something at a fast fashion brands, simply because it’s cheap or a good buy. Don’t do that! Lastly, invest in fewer, but good quality clothes, that won’t rip in a few washes.” Easy, right?

The team at Doodlage works every day to upcycle industrial waste into short collections and their own fabric waste is used to make home accessories, and paper which is being converted for their stationery collection. They are currently working with post-production waste and their long-term plan to find ways to connect post-consumer waste to the recycling units, this will create fresh yarns and fabrics for future collections. The brand looking for funds to create more awareness around the need for circularity in fashion and to make its product a little more accessible for the price conscious Indian audience, which is possible with an increase in the scale of production and distribution. In order to involve consumers in its movement towards making sustainable fashion available to a wider audience, Doodlage is planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign this fall.

To check out their products, click here

You can know more about the crowdfunding campaign here.