Fashion industry is an ever-growing industry across continents and cultures. However, it is also one of the major contributors to industrial waste, thereby polluting the environment. A great deal of fabric is discarded and dumped everyday! With the growth of various thrift stores and Indie sustainable brands, we found a brand that celebrates feminism and sustainability. Like the light at the end of the tunnel, we discovered Vuri Studio and it is our special find. We got real candid with the founder aka creative mind behind Vuri Studio, Urvi Soni.
The Beginning
Urvi is a 24 years old fashion designer from Delhi. A student of fashion from the Pearl Academy, New Delhi and FIDM, Los Angeles, she found her niche in upcycling. From draping dresses on herself using her mother’s dupattas when she was 6, to crafting clothes for herself, she found her brand identity. Let us find more about her and her label:
What does your brand name ‘Vuri’ mean?
‘Vuri’ has no meaning of its own. It is an anagram of my name, Urvi. We define this word as having a killer wardrobe that doesn’t kill the planet. It also explains the brand’s philosophy. I defo hope that in the future Vuri finds its way to the wordbook and people associate it with sustainable fashion.
The Eco Touch
‘Here’s to having a killer wardrobe without killing the planet’ – How do your collections promise what they preach?
Our fashion industry is said to be the second biggest contributor to pollution on this planet. The clothes that we wear have a very short life and mostly end up in bins or in landfills. There, they stay dumped for centuries and if burnt, release harmful chemicals into the air. We strongly contradict this practice and believe in giving a second chance to the fabric.
In our collections so far, we have used fabric that was either discarded by us at home or by the export companies. This is one reason why we are conditioned to make one of a kind or limited edition pieces. We try not to follow trends and make statement pieces or use classic silhouettes so that our clothes can still be worn along the years without giving it a second thought and thus, extending it’s life even further.
Additionally, we practice a zero waste policy at the studio where not even a single piece of thread goes into the bin. Whatever little waste remains, we use it to make bags, earrings or hair accessories. We avoid using any plastic trims in our clothes (zippers, plastic buttons, plastic beads) and opt for more sustainable alternatives, such as wooden buttons and drawstring closures and glass/wooden beads. We also try to keep our price points lower than most of the sustainable brands in the market, giving our customers a conscious alternative to fast fashion brands.
We also keep our personal profits low, and our designs fun and spunky. We are making sustainable alternatives for people at an affordable price.
The Inspiration
Just curious, how and when did it occur to you that you want to start your sustainable fashion label?
My mother used to make clothes for me while I was growing up. She stitched these from her old kurtas and left over fabrics from other projects. Each time I wore those garments out in public, I was flooded with compliments. This was significantly because what I was wearing was unique and not seen anywhere else in the market. And upcycling is all I have ever known all my life.
Then later in college, I realised that what I had been doing all my life is actually the need of the hour. Last year, during the lockdown, while I was making clothes for myself, I got the idea of starting my own clothing line of upcycled garments. Unable to walk out or source materials, I started making clothes from the bits and pieces I had at home, be it sarees, dupattas, shirts, bedsheets – everything that was available.
Where do you acquire your fabrics from?
Most of the fabric so far has been acquired from home. These are mostly sarees and dupattas that we no longer used. Many of my relatives also provided me with their unused clothes. Then the fabric goes through a series of washing and sanitizing routines before we start working with them. Other than these, I source my fabric from export surplus markets in Delhi.
For the Women
Does your label cater to every woman? If yes, then how?
With every collection I work on, I try to cater to a different woman. I love to experiment with different genres of capsule upcycled collections. Recently, I dedicated a collection to very tribal/boho vibes. Then, another one had badass street vibes. And my latest collection has very feminine, soft vibes. It’s a great way to reach out to different niches and challenge yourself to do new things. I am looking forward to continuing to experiment along the same base. I also make certain that my clothes flatter every body type and that all women feel comfortable wearing them.
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Name one favourite collection of yours so far. I would like to take the risk of asking you for your outfit from the same collection.
My favourite collection by far is the BANJARAN collection. It was a capsule streetwear collection confluencing with the age-old craft of bandhej and thus, giving it a modern look. Also, I loved each and every piece from that collection and so cannot pick one (giggles)
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Thank you so much for writing about us ❤️
It means so much as a small business ☺️
Hey it’s a pleasure to us, and thanks for your efforts to create a sustainable brand 🙂