Sustainability with a twist

Mallika Reddy is an architect by qualification, but took a U-turn to research in sustainable fashion. Her online fashion brand, 'Cancelled Plans' is taking baby steps to realise a dream of making sustainable fashion the way of life.

Mallika brings innovation in her designs by making handbags, clutches, wallets etc using materials that are discarded from factories.

"Design has a way to change things and create impact. I was no good at math and structural thinking even as a kid; I have always been a conceptual thinker.

I am also an artist and so I think the design came to me naturally. I did carpentry, tie-dye and also visual art," she narrates her story in an exclusive interaction.

What has brought an architect to the world of fashion?

I am from Hyderabad and I was here until high school and then for my under graduation I had gone to Southern California where I studied architecture.

I was there at Los Angles for five years and while I was there I developed an interest in entrepreneurship and design, which I was always passionate about since I was a kid. After I finished my education, I started working in the field of branding.

After four years I decided to move back to India and then I went to Mumbai where I was at a design innovation studio of Dr Reddy's, which is when I decided to do something on my own.

I started experimenting as I wanted to do something in sustainability and design. I started visiting factories and met people who are in similar field and then we started 'Cancelled Plans'.

We are not officially launched yet, we are doing pre-sales. We, however launched our products at the London Design Festival.

Why did you name it as 'Cancelled Plans'?

'Cancelled Plans' is about me; I make plans and then I cancel them (laughs), it is true to my nature. Other than that we are also inspired by a few quotes like 'Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans'.

This is also true for me because I studied architecture, but I did not become one. More literally it is about all the materials used for our products that were supposed to go in some dump and we have made other plans for them.

We also have to make new plans for the environment as well and it is nice that we get curiosity around the name, as it is catchy.

What is the concept behind your products?

We are a brand that tries to creatively use material that goes unused in the industrial process. We use pharmaceutical waste which is found in the pharmacy factory; we pick it up when it is in the factory.

We create premium products because we want to change the perception that when you think about sustainable and earth-friendly designs, it's quite shoddy. We wanted to say that luxury can also come through the industrial waste material which is not considered as waste by us.

How do you choose the materials?

We do have a lot of products, but our focus is on the materials. We see what suits well, for example, the pharmaceutical waste goes well with bags and leather, but it doesn't work with clothing.

We also work with the sock factory and use the waste to design our clothes, we use waste from condom factory to make embroidery. We work with the government to help us with weavers as all of our material is handloom.

If you look at our products, they dont look handmade, but they are. We are working with the weavers to create contemporary designs. We wanted to bring premium products and so we have used leather for our bags. We are also working with a printing factory where we get the billboard waste.

Will you be opening a store soon?

We will not be opening a store because I think the world is moving away from the retail store model. We are going to go online; we are already online in a beta version right now.

We have a few products which you can purchase on our website. We will officially launch in December and we will be available in a few stores.

How supportive was your family?

They are very supportive; my father gave me this idea and told me to look into sustainability as a profitable business. They are my biggest champions.

How challenging was your journey?

Honestly, it was a lot of fun. Of course, there were challenges as things always don't go the way you want them to. Not everyone is willing to work with these materials because they have never worked with it; it took a little time to convince weavers and craftsmen.

The fun part was the experiments and trying and it paid off well. We were on the field doing experiments of trial and error for some time.

How was the response when you showed them in London and Hyderabad Design Week?

We got a very good response from London. People liked the concept and the quality of the product. They appreciated the value that it is handcrafted.

In the Indian market, we still have to convince people a little more,. In the west, they have adopted this much faster. In Hyderabad too, we did get a good response, and in terms of purchasing, people were much forthcoming.

What suggestions do you give for women entrepreneurs?

I am single and unmarried, I do not have that kind of family pressures and the tensions like paying the rent as I live with my parents.

So, I can understand the reasons of the pressures that some women face to start something. I am lucky in that matter. For anyone who has the opportunity I would just say that believe in yourself because as women we tend to doubt ourselves.

Try to find your champions. Get people to talk to, I think women can do it if they get the right encouragement. Be that person who encourages others.