R|Elan Circular Design Challenge (CDC): Finalist Varshne B’s Chennai brand champions eco fabrics, textile waste
August 8, 2025e-Paper
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August 8, 2025e-Paper
R|Elan Circular Design Challenge (CDC): Finalist Varshne B’s Chennai brand champions eco fabrics, textile waste
Stainless steel scraps, leather offcuts, surplus trims blend with weganool, and banana leather at Crcle, a conscious label from Chennai
Updated - August 08, 2025 02:12 pm IST
At Crcle, Varshne crafts gender-neutral T-shirts, shirts, shorts, jackets, and bags | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At the age of 13, Varshne B knew she wanted to be a fashion designer. After graduating from NIFT Chennai in 2020, Varshne went on to work with brands like Biskit and Capsul. “I became increasingly aware of the amount of waste the industry generates. I also noticed the gap between consciously-crafted products and innovative, forward-thinking design. I wanted to create a brand that bridged that gap,” says the 26-year-old, who founded Crcle in 2024. “The brand’s name is testament to the ideology of closing the loop with our community,” says the Chennai-based designer, who is among India’s three finalists at R|Elan Circular Design Challenge (CDC).
Read more |CDC finalist Farak is blending Indian craft with sustainable streetwear
Organised by Reliance Industries’ R|Elan (an initiative aimed at promoting sustainable and circular fashion practices), in partnership with the United Nations in India and Lakmē Fashion Week, CDC’s finals will be held at Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI this October. Crcle will compete with India finalists Golden Feathers, Farak, and Maximilian Raynor (UK), Martina Boero (Cavia, EU), and Jesica Pullo (BIOTICO, Asia Pacific).
The two looks presented at the CDC competition | Photo Credit: Gulshan Rupraj
A “conscious clothing and lifestyle brand rooted in circular design, innovation and craft”, Varshne’s brand crafts gender-neutral T-shirts, shirts, shorts, jackets, and bags. Materials used include weganool (a biodegradable fabric made from calotropis plant fibres), banana leather, corozo buttons (crafted from the tagua nut), among others. “We also source pre and post consumer textiles, end-of-life textiles, deadstock fabrics, surplus trims, etc from factories and recycling facilities across Tamil Nadu, and integrate them into our collections,” says Varshne, who works with stainless steel scraps and leather offcuts sourced from metal fabrication units and leather factories in Chennai. Now, Varshne is expanding the brand’s material base to include traditional handwoven materials like kala cotton, khadi, etc., and handcrafted details such as crochet, natural dyeing, and embroidery.
Varshne B | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
At the CDC competition, her collection, Symbiosis, led her to the finals. “We imagine a world where innovation doesn’t work against Nature but works with it — using systems and materials that mirror Nature’s own intelligence and circularity, while taking inspiration from the intricate textures and patterns found in natural forms,” says Varshne. For instance, irregular patterns such as the ridges on tree trunks or bubbles in water have inspired their use of hand-done crochet patches and pintucks on fabrics, the flow of water has been translated into embroidery and surface details that mimic movement, and the use of crush tie-dye “captures the randomness of Nature. Like how algae or moss grows in patches or how lichen spreads unevenly across stone,” says Varshne, adding that Symbiosis comprises shirts, trousers, jackets, skorts. One of the key highlights, she says, is a multifunctional T-shirt that can convert into a bag.
An outfit from Crcle | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Varshne says Chennai’s “beautiful contrast” also reflects in her work. “The city is rooted in heritage but always evolving. That balance influences my design aesthetics too; I’m drawn to clean forms with thoughtful, handcrafted details, merging the old with the new. In Chennai, you’re constantly aware of the climate — heat, floods, water scarcity — so conversations around resources, waste, and impact feel very real and immediate,” she explains. “For the finale, we’re building on this same concept and the new capsule will be an extension of Symbiosis, taking the idea forward with deeper exploration into materials and design innovation.”
The natural dyeing process at Crcle | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As for the unisex silhouettes, their design “also comes from a very personal place”. “Even as a kid, I was constantly spotted in oversized T-shirts and shorts, often borrowing clothes from my dad’s and brother’s wardrobes. That comfort-first, no-label approach to dressing has stayed with me,” says the designer whose latest launches include bags made with stainless steel and leather scraps.
Crcle crafts unisex outfits | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Next, Varshne is venturing into the lifestyle space and will be launching coasters made from leather and stainless-steel scraps, and wallets from leather and textile scraps. “Eventually, I want to make furniture, and other decor accessories using circular materials and handcrafted techniques,” she concludes.
Published - July 31, 2025 02:20 pm IST
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