Artisanns Nest Is Consciously Stitching A Bold New Future For Indian Fabric Waste

Beauty is likely the last thing you'd associate with discarded fabric swatches, dusty catalogues, or out-of-design rolls headed to the landfill. But for Priya Bawa, founder and CEO of Artisans Nest, these overlooked scraps were the start of something revolutionary.

Beginning in 2015 with just two sizes of handcrafted fabric-covered notebooks, Artisanns Nest has expanded into a complete lifestyle brand with a Delhi workshop and a strong commitment to zero-waste, ethical design. At its heart is a cleverly simple concept: salvage unused, high-quality textile waste and breathe new life into it.

What started with fabric swatches from international furnishing companies such as D'Decor has now prevented more than 100,000 kilograms of material from being landfilled or burned — material that's ISO-certified, fire-proof, Martindale-tested, and, in most instances, never handled. These aren't rags. They're what remains of opulence — repurposed, not pitied.

Artisanns Nest is not about scrawling "sustainable" across trendy items. It's about designing a new value system—one that honours craft, labour, and material equally. Sewing together irregular scraps into beanbags, cushions, pouches, and so on is time-consuming. Each design decision—from Martindale thresholds to flame retardancy—is deliberate, as is the fair pay system they operate on for artisans, designers, and thread workers alike.

The production process of the brand is multi-layered with attention. Scrap fabric is used as packaging material, excess sheer fabrics are used as pouches, and even tiny bits of yarn are reused as buffer cushions. The workshop is run by solar power. All is held together with a single purpose: to produce without producing waste.

Nine years on, Artisanns Nest is a precious anomaly of what is possible when sustainability and obsession get together, not only with design, but circularity, quality, and actually creating things that last. Their aspiration? To be recognized as the world leader in upcycled, durable home decor. But more importantly, to change the way we value things. The way we consume. The way we care. "eco" is ubiquitous but often signifies very little, yet Artisanns Nest provides something truly revolutionary: a company that not only lessens harm but also restores worth—to matter, to producers, and to the earth.

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