You were born and raised in Bengaluru, lived in Australia, and now reside in New York City.
How have each of these places been a source of inspiration for your designs and collections?
“My collection has to change in the same way that flowers do, it has to bloom, it has to evolve.”
I lived in Melbourne which is a very European culture, so it was difficult for people to relate to my own culture, which is the esoteric of my collection. Everywhere in Australia and New York is very man-made, even the gardens are structured and laid-out, whereas everything in India is so organic.
My mother’s garden in India inspired the collection. She would grow many different varieties of flowers together. My collection has to change in the same way that flowers do, it has to bloom, it has to evolve.
With my brand, I do not follow trends, in fact I do the opposite. A space where there is a constant pressure to keep up with the current trend is suffocating. Fashion cannot be structured. I want my collection to be worn throughout the year. This does not mean I want to change the atmosphere and culture of where I am living, but rather, I want to bring the collection to people all around the world, where they can have these pieces with them forever.
Where else would you most like to travel?
I want to go to Istanbul and Mexico to experience both cultures. I lived in Dallas, and due to the border I have been particularly connected to Mexcian art. In Istanbul, I am fascinated by how they create their clothing, how they wear silk and their whole tradition surrounding clothing.
But my next go-to is India! I have visited India for the past 15-20 years and this is the first year that I haven’t been home. I miss my mother a lot, so I hope I can see her soon.
One of your main priorities is ensuring Indians have work and are ensured a fair quality of life and working conditions.
How have the farmers protests in India of 2020-2021 affected you?
It has not affected my business because I work with very small farmers who would not be selling their cotton or yarn to big corporations. I have always connected to small artisan communities to understand how I can support them.
I have received a lot of messages on Instagram claiming that the protest is merely for the political scene, questioning why I am a part of it. I question why we have to protest in this way to communicate a political message.
These kinds of issues get to me personally and I am trying to work out the best ways to help. People have died due to this protest, it is still going on and they don’t have an answer to it. And yet, some people are still trying to say that it is fake. If the people in India could work together, I don’t think we would have been in this situation.
I have noticed a lot of media coverage, but who’s actually helping or supporting them? How are they tackling the situation? I don’t see that.
Unfortunately, sustainability is still mostly being addressed by those who are reaping the benefits of privilege.
What advice would you give to those from marginalised communities who want to either live more sustainably, or build a sustainable business?
“For me, the people come first. How I treat people, how they live, how we are supporting them, the kinds of jobs we are giving them.”
You breathe and eat sustainability. It’s in everything you do. What you do comes back to you. For me, the people come first. How I treat people, how they live, how we are supporting them, the kinds of jobs we are giving them.
From a business point of view, with sustainability I look at the entire picture of creating a garment. I would always say that you should visit the places, have that experience, be there, do that, understand the whole structure. The whole method of how you are creating the product must be considered, the way the tagging is made to the way you ship the product to the customer.
For example, if I ever want to create a collection in Mexico, I would love to be there and understand what is being made, how it is being made and who is making it for me, and how I am going to bring it back into the US and India sustainably.
For the sustainability space to be more inclusive, it must be intersectional. Fashion brands preach about sustainability without the fundamental requirement of social justice.
What do you think is needed to make the sustainable fashion industry more inclusive and accessible?
There are a lot of businesses who want to give back to developing countries. They collect a lot of money, but do they even know where that money is going? Do they know who is making their clothes? What is the condition of the mill? How is it being packaged? How is it being made into textile?
It has, of course, worked in my favour. I am from India, I know the culture, I have lived there. But it has been so difficult for me to run a business in the Western world and I am still struggling, I am still trying to understand. If you want to bring a sustainable brand into the market, you have to make the effort to understand the whole story of it.
Your newest collection, Desert Rose, is inspired by the desert rose flower’s “native India, Africa and Arabian Peninsula”. The collection “features optimistic floral and wildlife prints in fresh, vivid shades of fuchsia and citrus.”
You can shop their collection here.
What is the piece that you are most proud of from the Desert Rose collection (if you can pick one!)?
This collection is one I haven’t seen being made, it has all been done through video calls. I could not pinpoint one style, therefore, every piece is a treasure in this collection, because we have created it in such a different circumstance. This is the first collection I have introduced plant-based fibres and BCI where the right profits go to the right people.
There has been a very different following for this collection, too, and our brand has grown because of it. This growth is a situation which has just happened for us, for example, we are not marketing vigorously, we are marketing but it’s not something we are putting pressure on. Roopa Pemmaraju has grown organically.
