Written on December 11, 2019, our journey imported from our old website <3
Delhi is a hub for garment production and there are facilities all over. Everything from massive high-MOQ factories on the outskirts to masterji uncle tailor shops in the center of town. The scraps have to go somewhere and if it’s not a landfill or to individual homes, the bulk of the rest ends up in Seelampur- an area northeast of the center city.
Honestly after visiting I have even more questions than answers- how much really gets re-used? How much is waste, how much is deadstock, .. where exactly do they all come from? I want to go there again and dig deeper, but some say it isn't safe.
This market could be a gold mine, is it really unsafe? Everywhere in India seemed crazy before I got to know its flow. Regardless we got a good haul for Swiatlo and the controlled chaos of her patchworked pieces. My next plan is to find the factories themselves and source waste directly. Keep following that supply down the chain to its origin, as far as I can go.
In “trash” textile we see unused potential. Colors and textures, prints and drapes- how to fit these scattered differences together, how can varied parts make a cohesive whole?
Our chosen medium of fabric is alive and “conscious” if we choose to feel it as an entity of our creative expression. Whose were you before you found yourself here? What was the beginning intention? Our intention now is to fulfill potential.
Repurposed textiles have their own stories to tell. We are inspired and enlivened to include this energy in our design narrative alongside our beloved craft fabrics.