'Studio Beej' Is Changing The Face Of Fashion And Proving That Style And Sustainability Can Co-exist

As an industry, fashion is big business. High value, high growth, high employment, but also very high environmental damage. From carbon emissions and water pollution to massive amounts of textile waste and the generation of microplastics, fashion and its supply chain has been one of the highest polluting industries. And that is why global fashion – designers and brands – are racing to experiment in the innovative material space. From vegan, mushroom, apple and pineapple leather to nettle and orange fiber, and then textiles made from algae, and even sweat - these innovative fabrics are bringing a revolution in the fashion industry.

Amongst these innovations is cork. If you thought cork is used only in wine bottles, or for coasters, think again. Brands are now using fabric made from corks to make trendy handbags and accessories. Cork is a biodegradable, renewable, and completely natural product made from the bark of trees. And a bag made of trees? Who would've thought!

Studio Beej is one such brand that makes bags out of leather made from trees and leaves. Leaving a 17-year-long career in Human Resources (HR), Arundhati Kumar started 'Studio Beej' in Mumbai, two years ago, with a vision to protect the environment. In Arundhati Kumar's words, Studio Beej was born out of the core belief that style and sustainability can and must exist. And the lifestyle and accessories start-up aims to create an ecosystem that encourages making conscious choices.

Recalling the start of her brand, Arundhati Kumar, Founder, of Studio Beej said,

I went on a vacation to Europe, with my daughter and friends in 2020. It was quite hot. I think that was the first year when Europe was experiencing a major heatwave. Now, these heatwaves are common news. It's getting worse every year, and I remember talking to a friend about how we keep saying global warming will hit us, but it already has. When I returned, I was working in a co-working space. I did a bit of research on alternatives to leather and was surprised to learn about so many alternate materials that I had never heard of before. I found out that these were not even available in India. I got very excited, and thought of starting something in this industry. And that's when I started Beej.

A single mother herself, Arundhati's father has run a well-established leather business in Kolkata for the last five decades. But for Arundhati, making the shift to a more sustainable lifestyle, not just a sustainable business was central to her life's philosophy. Talking more about the business and the initial challenges, Arundhati said,

I started work on this business in October 2019. I rented this space, and there was me, two workers to help, and the first batch of material that had just arrived in India. All our research at the time was to see how we could use the leather, and what we couldn't do with it. When I would tell people that we are working with plant-based leather, they would be surprised since they had never heard of, or seen, anything like it. The first time I imported cactus leather from Mexico, customs officers at the airport refused to release it, as they could not understand whether it was cactus or leather. So, I had to explain to them because this was the first time such material was being imported to India, and nobody had ever heard about it.

Arundhati started Studio Beej with three workers, all of whom were from the leather trade. In fact, all workers at Studio Beej once began their careers in the leather trade. They have worked in export houses, some have worked for many years with her father. She added,

Initially, they did not have any understanding of these different materials. But, as time went by, they started developing that understanding. Now I keep showing them photographs of them and their work, when we get featured in a magazine or newspaper. This is important to me as I like them to get the limelight. They should also be interviewed. They send their photographs to their families in the village. They understand now that the work they do isn't being done by anyone else in India. It's a matter of huge pride for them. I am happy that, whatever else I achieve, I could change the mindset of at least 20 people working with me in my factory.

With a love for the planet at the heart of Studio Beej's philosophy, Arundhati's choice of materials for the accessories the brand makes is a mindful and ethical choice. Sharing details of different kinds of materials, Arundhati said,

We work with three to four different types of materials in the studio. The first material that we work with is cork. It is the same cork that is used as wine stoppers. Cork comes from the bark of oak trees, and it can be made in the form of a fabric. If you look at the backing, it is made of cotton. So, we don't work with any kind of plastic or polyester backings. It is a versatile and beautiful material and comes in various colours and prints. So, that's a big material that we work with at Beej. The second material that we work with is Pinatex. So, Pinatex is made out of pineapple leaves. Pineapple leaves are quite fibrous. When you scrape off this fibre, it makes a thick, strong material that doesn't tear easily. What is interesting is that it is 90 per cent biodegradable. The third material we work with is Desserto - made out of the cactus pulp. It comes from Mexico. The last material we have now started working on within India is a material called Neeram. It comes from the US. Its specialty is that it has zero plastic. They have designed a material which is made from rubber. They have created a leather-like material by combining things like rubber waste, corn, and rice.

In the Indian market, where people can easily buy trendy bags for a few hundred rupees, the big challenge for Studio Beej is to change the way consumers think. For Arundhati, the process is slow, but not unachievable. She said,

Beej is not in that race. Our customers are people who are very conscious about their consumption. If you read the newspapers today, you can't miss the news about what's happening in the world. What is the biggest global news these days? Climate change. Beej's audience wants to buy good products, they want to buy quality products. They don't want to compromise on their fashion even for a minute. So, for them, sustainability is not carrying an eco-friendly tote bag. They still want a very stylish bag, and in their minds if they buy a product, it is to use for one to two years, not just six to eight months. So, I think such people are growing in numbers.

Arundhati had launched Beej just a few days before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. And Beej, like several small businesses, had to bear the brunt of the lockdown, when everything came to a standstill. Recalling a hard time, she said,

It isn't easy at the best of times, and the pandemic made it harder. The children were not going to school, they were studying from home. When everybody's parents were working from home, I was working from the studio. At the end of the day, we have a manufacturing set-up. It is a small team. I had to be here. In the first year, the exports were completely shut. No one was buying anything. But, last year, we worked for over 10 international clients. The interesting thing is that it wasn't us who discovered these brands. They discovered us. They asked us to help them grow their brands just like we did ours.

Arundhati believes that one needs to have an understanding of these materials and also the philosophy behind the kind of work Beej does. It is only then you will be able to do something authentic and true to the cause, she said and added,

At every step, you will be tempted to leave it be, to do something cheaper and easier. But I have drilled it so much into their (teammates) brains, that there is no going back now.

It is courage and a strong conviction that has led women like Arundhati to give up established careers and follow their passion – to show the world that it is possible to provide the Indian consumer with a sustainable, responsible, eco-friendly alternative to the world of polluting fast fashion. We need more entrepreneurs like Arundhati, so that we can make the right choices to stay trendy and environment-friendly at the same time.