From being invented for the labourers in America in the 19th century to becoming an icon of pop culture, denim or jeans has had quite a history. Also, from being essentially bottom wear, the thick blue fabric is also used for top-wear and has been reimagined by top fashion houses across the globe in trendy ways. With sustainability in full force now, the age-old fabric is being refashioned and upcycled by many labels and Denim Darzi happens to be one of them.
The city-based brand is making quite a noise in the city’s fashion scape since its debut a couple of years back with Denimedley, a medley of upcycled denim and other fabrics. Their last edit too got noticed for its eclectic range of upcycled blazer dresses and half-robe denim dresses. And now, their latest edit, Deneon for women’s wear and The Spring Ensembles- men’s co-ord sets, launched last week, adds a pop of neon to the outfits, turning them into fun and funky numbers. “Upcycled neon fabric fused with waste denim is the theme of the collection, which has been created for a wide range of age groups. For men, we’ve done a spring look with cool coordinated sets of summer jackets and shorts that have been crafted from waste denim,” tells us Rupali Mukherjee, whose denim polka saris and denim fused Durga Pujo kurta and dhotis have been bestsellers last Pujas.
It all started in 2020 when Rupali found 20 old pieces of denim which she and her daughter no longer wore. Rupali created a few pieces for her Puja look. An overwhelming response from friends and family led to the birth of Denim Darzi. So far, she has collected around 50 pairs of jeans for upcycling. While recycling denim is not new, it’s the fresh take on the silhouettes that make Denim Darzi stand out. Rupali, who has a team of tailors giving a definite shape to her vision, focuses equally on the silhouettes and cuts while blending denim with other fabrics. So, whether it’s her sleek single-shoulder blouses or dhoti skirts, there’s a beautiful balance between the old and the new designs.
Talking about the way forward, Rupali says, “Our ideology will always be to make the best use of waste to help reduce carbon footprints. We want to further explore options with denim by fusing it with every kind of fabric and creating more experimental wear.” Price `2500 onwards