DVIJA

Strategic Context

As Project Manager (Consultancy) for Banofi + Beej Studio, I directed the product strategy and commercial narrative for this 15-piece, first-to-market banana bio-leather collection — scaling its sustainable innovation story for a Lakmé Fashion Week debut that reached 50,000+ stakeholders, running the cross-functional agile design sprints that accelerated development by 3 weeks, and aligning the material innovation with enterprise viability to secure buy-in from 4 major retail partners.

Overview

The project was showcased at Lakme Fashion Week, in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the United Nations Delhi House. The concept emphasized circular design and sustainable practices in fashion, with a focus on an innovative material: vegan plant-based leather.

Team

Collaborated with:

• Studio Beej’s creative team
• Banofi’s material scientists
• Artisans skilled in eco-friendly manufacturing
• Production partners

Problem Statement

• One cow-leather handbag uses the equivalent of 25 years of drinking water for one person
• One cow-leather handbag uses the energy of 90 years of phone battery for one person
• 90% of animal leather bags use toxic carcinogens such as chromium
• One plastic or synthetic handbag creates microplastic pollution that takes 1,000 years to degrade

Material and Process

Design-forward, looks and feels like animal leather, varied in color and texture, free of harmful chemicals, vegan and cruelty-free. It upcycles waste, uses repurposed hardware, is designed for circularity, and provides additional income to farmers through backward and forward integration.

Sustainable Development Goals targeted: 12 Responsible Consumption and Production · 14 Life Below Water · 15 Life on Land · 1 No Poverty · 13 Climate Action · 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

Banana stem → Banana fibre → Pulp → Mixture → Backing fabrics → Compound coating → Pattern making and cutting → Surface design technique → Hardware (repurposed Dokhra metal handle) → Final product

Concept Note

The collection narrates the journey of banana crop waste, from its origin in farmlands to its transformation into sustainable vegan leather, culminating in a luxury bag collection.

The collection is called ‘Dvija’, meaning second life in Sanskrit. I drew heavily on the banana plant, since every part has value: its leaves, fruit, flower, and stem are all consumed in one form or another. No part of a banana plant goes to waste.

Initial Ideation Sketches

Final Products

Four final designs, with surface embroidery inspired by the banana leaf, flower, and stem cross-section.

The Fashion Show

We presented DVIJA, my accessory collection created exclusively for the Circular Design Challenge (CDC), at R|Elan™ presents Circular Design Challenge in partnership with the United Nations in India, at UN House in Delhi.