Recycling has only got trendier of late. While some are busy repurposing jam jars into candle holders and newspaper into necklaces, fashion designer and accountant-turned-entrepreneur, Prabha Rajkumar, has found innovative ways to recycle denim.
“I have always had a passion for designing clothes and doing something different to help conserve energy and protect nature. I wanted to carry my skills forward in this direction and that’s how my recycling venture, bluemadegreen, started from home two years ago. I had converted my daughter’s t-shirts into frocks for my niece and a few other items from used denim. They came out well and I thought it would be great if I could do this for others as well. Denim is the fabric I chose to upcycle as a lot of energy and water is consumed in manufacturing denim. On the bright side, denim is a durable, comfortable and fashionable fabric.”
At Bluemadegreen, Prabha creates a wide variety of products ranging from recycled denim outfits such as jackets, skirts and overalls, to accessories such as handbags, earrings, bookmarks, hair bands and cushion covers. She accepts customised orders.
Stating that her specialty lies in recycling denim in fashionable ways, Prabha say: “Usually, customers bring their denims and tell me their requirements as well as their likes and dislikes. There is an element of surprise for them as they leave the designing part to me. There are people who donate old pairs of jeans. I make accessories out of them for sale.” Currently, she takes orders through her Facebook page.
This eco-friendly entrepreneur encourages her customers to bring in old bed sheets, table clothes, clothes, etc. along with their jeans for upcycling. She informs: “I try to keep the design as simple as possible by reusing whatever they bring. A minimal amount of new resources are used to make the products.”
Initially, Prabha found it hard to convince people that outfits could be made from old pairs of jeans.
“So I used to collect old denim and just make accessories out of them. But now, people are bringing their old pair of jeans for customised products,” she says.
According to her, “The challenge I face is to ensure each product is unique. I also make sure I use every scrap of denim. Denim bookmarks, earrings, etc. are the result of that. I am always in search for new products that can be made out of this versatile fabric. Every day is a new day at work.”
In the coming days, Prabha says: “I am planning to make some light-weight (easy to carry) games for kids. It is in the process of designing right now.”
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