Tejal Deshpande grew up in a traditional Marathi family. Much like every other middle class parent, her’s too were stern believers of reusing daily items like plastic bags, bottles, containers, as well as pieces of clothing. The unconventional ways of preserving what has already been used stayed with her, and years down the line gave birth to her brainchild Tejalkeyur Textiles. The eco-friendly label specialises in upcycled bags, rugs, pot covers and organisers made from cloth scraps and waste.
How was Tejalkeyur conceived?
The thought has always been there, and now it has turned into a mentality. Throughout my days at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad I have consciously or subconsciously incorporated the idea in my projects. At NID we did not just study weaving and nitty gritty of the textile industry, but also about impacts we have on the environment.
I remember seeing a huge pile of waste being dumped by six bulldozers at Ahmedabad, most of which consisted of textile waste. This was my eureka moment and I took things in my hands to contribute my part as a solution to this problem. I decided to use textile waste as a resource.
How are the products made at Tejalkeyur?
Initially I used to solely weave all the products at Tejalkeyur. However, as we began gaining momentum on Instagram, I connected with a few women from a small village near my hometown called Aambewadi. None of them were trained artisans but had a keen interest in learning something new. We finally kicked off last year and now all of the products are handcrafted by them. It took them some time to understand the basics of how each fabric lends to the structure, texture and colour of our products but now the five of them have entirely taken over the production of each of our items.
Has growing through the pandemic been a challenge?
The business started during the pandemic lockdown. The explorations with fabric & designing was done during the lockdown & the training program for the women started right after the lockdown was lifted.
Where are the materials sourced from?
We usually source materials from unorganised local sectors such as small bazaars who sell second hand clothing or produce large amounts of textile waste. We also encourage customers to send in their contributions or pieces that have a nostalgic value so that we can give them a usable makeover. Each of the materials go through an examination process that helps us decide on factors that will add to its durability, colour palette and structure. We have given new shape to about 800 sarees so far.
Price: Rs 950 onwards (exclusive of shipping charges)
Instagram: @tejalkeyur.textiles