In episode 221, Kestrel welcomes Roopa Pemmaraju, the founder of her namesake label, to the show. A slow luxury fashion brand, with an emphasis on sustainability and social responsibility, Roopa Pemmaraju’s collections celebrate Indian crafting techniques that have been handed down for hundreds of years.
“We don’t buy fabrics in bulk or we don’t create the products in bulk. If we have an order today, that’s when my atelier back in India would create that product, so that’s why we ask our customers or our retailers to give us that much of a time, so that we can create this product with integrity and the right way and the right fabrication that we require to create that sustainable brand.”On this week’s show, Roopa shares more on her past story and what led her to build her own brand. She and Kestrel also dive into more of what slow fashion means to Roopa’s brand, and how she defines it in her work.
Additionally, Kestrel asks Roopa if and how she sees the Farmers Protest in India intersecting with the work she is doing, with much of her sourcing (including cotton) and manufacturing taking place throughout the country.
Roopa never uses plastic in the beading or embroidery work on her products, so often they have to specially make glass beads or other notions that are plastic-free
Manpreet Kaur Kalra, educator who has shared detailed information on India’s new agricultural bills and India’s Farmers Protest
Follow Roopa Pemmaraju on Instagram >
S04 Episode 160 | NATHALIA JMAGNATHALIA JMAG ON MADE TO ORDER + MORE
S04 Episode 159 | POSITIVE LUXURY + THE BUTTERFLY MARK
S04 Episode 158 | BOYISH ON DOING BETTER DENIM
S04 Episode 157 | REMAKE + MADE IN MEXICO
S03 Episode 156 | CAN SUSTAINABLE BE DAPPER?
S03 Episode 155 | INFLUENCER JAYDE ARCHIVES ON PROUD OUTFIT REPEATING
S03 Episode 154 | MOHINDERS + HEIRLOOM LEATHER TRADITIONS
S03 Episode 153 | ELEVATED LAYERS + BALANCING WASTE IN THE INFLUENCER ERA
S03 Episode 152 | REWILDER + SALVAGING INDUSTRIAL TRASH FOR DESIGN
S03 Episode 151 | ORGANICUP + COMBATING MENSTRUAL WASTE
S03 Episode 150 | LISA GRALNEK + BALANCING AUTHENTICITY AMIDST A TIME OF DISRUPTION
S03 Episode 149 | IKKIVI, TWOFOLD + THE SLOW FASHION SCENE IN INDIA
S03 Episode 148 | BEL KAZAN AND THE POWER + CHALLENGES OF OWNING YOUR OWN FACTORY
S03 Episode 147 | FIREWIRE + DISRUPTING THE SURF INDUSTRY
S03 Episode 146 | RAFA + MAKING VEGAN SHOES IN LA
S03 Episode 145 | TRIBE ALIVE + THE POWER OF INVESTING IN WOMEN
S03 Episode 144 | KNIT WIT ON GOING DIGITAL + WHAT'S HOT IN THE CRAFTING SCENE
S03 Episode 143 | ABLE, LIVING WAGES + THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLISHING THEM
S03 Episode 142 | LEFT EDIT + ESSENTIALS THAT MAKE AN IMPRESSION
S03 Episode 141 | SUSTAINABLE STYLING + CURATING THE MINIMALIST WARDROBE SHOP
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