While freelancing as a wildlife naturalist for a lodge in Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Menaka Bapuji was propagating the idea of eco-friendly lifestyle. An NIFT graduate, she decided to put the idea into practice.
Menaka Bapuji; From Varnuyathe collection
Chennai:
“There is a common perception that environmentally friendly products are not affordable. No cost is too much when it comes to the preservation of the planet. I wanted to revive the idea of natural clothing and promote a healthy relationship between man and nature. I collaborated with weavers who develop unique natural fabrics from aloe vera, banana, gongura, bamboo, soya, jute, beechwood, etc. We make hand embroidered clothes for women and children from these fibres,” she says.
Menaka works with traditional weavers and artisans from across south India. “We have joined hands with the local weavers to consciously reduce our carbon footprint, as most of these fibers use little water to grow and do not require chemical pesticides to mature. We are not emitting any hazardous chemicals to the environment during the process of making these fabrics. Moreover, natural clothing is always easy on the skin — these fabrics allow the body to breathe during summer and in winter, they trap heat.” The fabrics are woven from handloom weaving clusters in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Coimbatore.
Menaka started a clothing label Varnuyathe which is a fusion of two Sanskrit words varnam (meaning colour) and uyathe (meaning to weave). What makes the brand inspiring is that she makes clothes from extracts of aloe vera, gongura, bamboo, Himalayan nettle, pineapple, banana and beechwood.
“There is a common perception that environmentally friendly products are not affordable. No cost is too much when it comes to the preservation of the planet. I wanted to revive the idea of natural clothing and promote a healthy relationship between man and nature. I collaborated with weavers who develop unique natural fabrics from aloe vera, banana, gongura, bamboo, soya, jute, beechwood, etc. We make hand embroidered clothes for women and children from these fibres,” she says.
Menaka works with traditional weavers and artisans from across south India. “We have joined hands with the local weavers to consciously reduce our carbon footprint, as most of these fibers use little water to grow and do not require chemical pesticides to mature. We are not emitting any hazardous chemicals to the environment during the process of making these fabrics. Moreover, natural clothing is always easy on the skin — these fabrics allow the body to breathe during summer and in winter, they trap heat.” The fabrics are woven from handloom weaving clusters in Chennai, Kanchipuram and Coimbatore.