Circular Design Challenge winner I Was A Sari to take part in LFW sustainable fashion day

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Aug 19, 2019

The winner of the Circular Design Challenge, I Was A Sari, will make its Lakme Fashion Week debut on Thursday at the event’s Sustainable Fashion Day.

I Was a Sari, which won the Circular Design Challenge 2019 that sought to fund the future of sustainable fashion, will make its Lakme Fashion Week debut on August 22 at the St Regis in Mumbai. The brand will present a collection on the runway that, as its name suggests, is made entirely from pre-loved saris. 

The collection features an array of bright, patterned textiles in all hues of the rainbow but what sets the brand apart is its silhouettes. The contrast of a tailored shirt or high-waisted trousers made in printed sari textiles creates a modern and eclectic mix of European smart-casual attire and Indian textile heritage. 

I Was A Sari was founded in Italy in 2013 with the involvement Fashion in Process, a research collective within the Design Department of Politecnico di Milano University. The brand trained its first artisans in April that year to use textiles from saris to create modern garments and also launched its first collection in 2013 titled Criss Cross. The brand has since grown with the help of several partners including the Mumbai-based NGO Community Outreach Programme. The brand aims to reduce textile waste and improve the lives of its artisan workers. 

Lakme Fashion Week will begin on August 21 and run until August 25. The Mumbai Fashion Week, which has been running for the last 20 years, counts Lakme, IMG Reliance, and Nexa as its main sponsors.