From upcycling leather to using stainless steel as handles for bags, Varshne, the CDC winner with her label Crcle, is telling us being modern is valuing our textiles.
By Asmita Aggarwal
Born and raised in Chennai, her graduation project in 2020 at NIFT (fashion design) mirrored the most potent fabric that has been adopted by the West like never before-Madras checks. Varshne wanted to depict it in a contemporary way, made a jacket not inside out or reversible but upside down, on the back was Chennai emblazoned and when you flip it you see Madras—it was an ambigram. “Lots of things inspired me, how the colour bleeds in Madras checks, as it is naturally dyed, gives a new look to the fabric every time, ideal for Chennai weather,” says Varshne, who showcased her eco-label Crcle, at the LFW X FDCI titled “Dialogue”.
South where she grew up was all about Kanjeevaram saris, bright hues, but as a kid she was all about baggy jeans and oversized shirts, complete opposite-a study in contrasts. Varshne or “rain” in Sanskrit launched her label in 2024, wanted Crcle “to close the loop”. The arts she imbibed growing up -Bharatnatyam, to hip hop, free style dancing, as well as being an avid athlete, long jump to marathons, instilled discipline and an understanding of conviction.
Thus “Dialogue” her collection was a conversation between—those wearing it, making it and the material. “It is about emotion transfer, how human beings connect with the garment, making them hold on to it forever,” says the Circular Design Challenge winner.
Using crochet (hand done by a cluster in Pondicherry), hand embroidery, with various shades of madder to indigo, making textiles with vegan wool, using korai grass (cultivated along the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu) which is traditionally used for mats in Chennai, she crafted bags with stainless steel handles. These can again be recycled and bonus: steel never loses its luster. “The beauty of crochet is you can completely unravel it, starting from the beginning, it becomes a fabric again. It offers endless possibilities,” she smiles.
Another initiative she embarked upon was collecting waste leather from factories, who generally discard it, and are reluctant to hand it over. It was a challenge to convince them to give it to her, they couldn’t understand why she would even accept such small quantities. She segregated it colour wise, made bags out of it, giving them a new life. “My brand is menswear, but I look at it as unisex, anyone can wear it,” she admits, offering elevated essentials.