Beyond the Loom: Iro Iro’s Vision of Sustainable Fashion Without Waste

Colonialism reduced India’s textile traditions to cheap labour and raw exports, stripping them of their cultural depth and cyclical wisdom. In response, Iro Iro reclaims this legacy by treating fashion as an ethical loop, upcycling waste into new textiles, regenerating ancestral craft practices in Rajasthan, and building systems where production is community-led, waste-free, and deeply tied to the land.

The Founder’s Journey

Iro Iro began in 2017, born from a simple yet urgent observation: the mountains of textile waste piling up in the garment industry. Its founder, Bhaavya Goenka, grew up around a factory where offcuts and rejects were seen as worthless, yet she also witnessed the quiet creativity of her mother, who turned scraps into useful household objects. That early exposure to both waste and reinvention planted the seed for a brand that would later reimagine discarded materials as the starting point for design.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Kunj (@thekunj_newdelhi)

Drawing on her training in crafts and design, Bhaavya sought to bridge ancestral techniques with contemporary needs. She looked to the rural weaving traditions of Rajasthan not as relics, but as living systems of circularity that colonial economies and modern fast fashion had long overshadowed. With Iro Iro, she set out to restore dignity to waste, value to community labour, and continuity to crafts that had nearly been forgotten. As the brand's core ethos explains: “Every time we create something, we weave a new story of the old, we reclaim the forgotten, we embrace the rejects.”

The Brand’s Distinct Edge

Iro Iro defines itself by reimagining what fashion can be, rooted in waste rather than excess. Every piece is created from discarded textiles such as offcuts, deadstock, and old garments, brought to life through zero-waste patterning and the weaving traditions of Rajasthan. Operating on a made-to-order model, the brand avoids overproduction, eliminates plastic, and ties each garment back to ancestral knowledge and cultural memory. Its distinctiveness lies in sustainability and also in giving value to craft as a living practice. Their website is a place where weavers like Hari Narayan attest to their craft for themselves  “I have been working for 60 years now. Working with Iro Iro allows me to work slowly, which suits my lifestyle and pace."

Yet, building this alternative system comes with challenges. Convincing consumers to embrace slow fashion in a world dominated by mass production requires ongoing effort. Managing decentralised production across villages while ensuring consistent quality is equally complex, alongside social realities such as caste barriers and the decline of craft in younger generations. Still, Iro Iro leans on its strengths, community stories, ethical guarantees, and cultural regeneration to move forward and become one of the best Indian Fashion brands. As Ganga Devi, another weaver, cites on their website: “My husband is a weaver. Both my sons are weavers. I have seen this craft die in front of me and be revived again in the region.” By amplifying such voices, building consumer awareness, and fostering collaborations, the brand continues to position itself as a guardian of heritage and a pioneer in decolonial, sustainable fashion.

Products and Price Range

Iro Iro’s range is built around the idea of turning discarded textiles into meaningful design. Their collections go beyond abstract fashion and include clothing pieces such as sarees, co-ords, jackets, and dresses, all crafted with zero-waste methods and traditional weaving skills. In addition, the brand produces home textiles like handwoven rugs and throws, continuing its roots in rag-weaving while giving new life to leftover materials. Each item is made only when ordered, ensuring thoughtful production without excess.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by IRO IRO (@iroirozerowaste)

The pricing mirrors the craftsmanship and sustainability embedded in the process. Smaller garments and accessories usually fall between Rs. 4,000–6,000, while more elaborate designs like sarees, jackets, and dresses are typically priced in the range of Rs. 12,000–20,000. Larger woven products for the home, including rugs and throws, may cost up to Rs. 25,000–30,000, depending on their scale and intricacy. These prices are not just about being one of the best Indian homegrown fashion brands; they reflect fair wages for artisans and the value of keeping traditions alive through ethical, circular design.

The Road Ahead

Iro Iro shows that fashion can move beyond trends to become a practice of care and continuity. By turning discarded textiles into new garments, reviving traditional weaving techniques in Rajasthan, and ensuring artisans receive fair wages, the brand challenges the wastefulness and exploitation embedded in the best fashion brands of India. Its made-to-order and circular approach reframes sustainability as a way of preserving cultural memory and regenerating community livelihoods. In doing so, Iro Iro positions itself as a design label and as a step toward decolonising fashion, where clothing becomes a loop of resilience, heritage, and ethical responsibility.