How Mumbai Startup Dwij Giving Old Denims a Second Life
How many garments do humans discard each year? The answer is staggering. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the world generates 92 million tonnes of textile waste annually. India alone contributes 3.9 million tonnes of clothing waste, yet recycles only about 4%, according to IIT Delhi research.
Global trends paint an even starker picture. Garment production doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the average lifespan of clothing fell by 36%. Nearly 11% of plastic waste originates from clothing and textiles, and only 8% of textile fibres produced in 2023 came from recycled sources.
In India, traditional garments such as kurtas and saris often find their way into donation networks. Quality denim, however, frequently ends up as cleaning rags or in landfills, its material value lost. Soumya Kalluri, a mechanical engineer who previously worked at John Deere and Godrej & Boyce, encountered this waste while focusing on sustainability. Her response was straightforward: “Everyone deserves a second chance, so why not denim?”
In 2018, she founded Dwij Sanskrit for “second life” to rescue textile waste and transform it into functional, ethical, and well-designed products. The Mumbai-based brand has since built a circular system in which discarded fabrics are given meaningful new lives and products are designed for eventual disassembly.
From Simple Totes to a Broader Lifestyle Range
Dwij began with a single product: a basic everyday tote bag. The team quickly realised that impact would remain limited if people did not use the products regularly. During the pandemic, the company pivoted toward more functional lifestyle items bags suited for office, school, and travel, along with a home décor range. Premium details such as sturdy zippers and contemporary designs followed, repositioning Dwij as an affordable yet quality-focused lifestyle label.
“We were rescuing materials from landfills, getting them washed, and going through so many processes. If the zipper broke or the tote just sat on a shelf, there was no point,” Kalluri explains.
The shift delivered results. SKUs have grown from roughly 66 in FY20 to 162 today. Since FY22, revenue has increased sixfold, and the number of products sold has risen 3.5 times. “COVID dampened growth from FY20 to FY22, but since then the last three years have marked a period of rapid expansion for us,” she says.
Sourcing Waste and Crafting by Hand
Dwij sources fabric every two to three months from two channels: post-consumer denim purchased in bulk from informal markets, and pre-consumer rejects from mills that carry minor defects. “We ask for the lowest grades in the supply chain because good-quality fabrics will get used anyway; they’re not the ones that would end up in landfills,” Kalluri notes.
All materials are industrially washed and sanitised before production begins at the company’s unit in Vikhroli, Mumbai. Artisans work with denim of varying sizes, shades and thicknesses, ensuring compatibility. Because supply depends on available waste, designs are guided by what arrives. One batch may yield more dark blues, the next more light tones; the challenge is to create relevant products from the materials at hand.
The production team includes 15 tailors, cutters and embroidery artisans, supported by three self-help groups of 30–35 women who contribute part-time skills in embroidery, toy-making and other crafts. They are trained to meet quality and inventory standards. Kalluri deliberately favours handcraft over machinery. “We could have invested in machinery, but as empathy-driven artists, we see more value in hand-done work. Machines are faster, but maintaining high-quality handcrafted products is far more challenging. This approach is truly sustainable, saving energy while delivering real value.”
Measuring Impact and Reaching Customers
To date, Dwij, a certified textile upcycler by the Ministry of Textiles and an NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore incubatee, has upcycled more than 10,000 post-consumer jeans, 2,000 metres of pre- and post-industrial denim, 2,000 metres of shirting and kurta lining, and 750 metres of recycled felt.
On the B2B side, the brand supplies corporate gifting and customer freebies to organisations including the Reserve Bank of India, Marico, Alkem, Novo Nordisk, IIM Bombay, Godrej, Bajaj and Marsh McLennan. It also collaborates with interior designers on textile-waste solutions and runs awareness workshops with companies and schools. From a single bulk order in FY20, Dwij completed more than 20 bulk orders in FY25. Internationally, it is listed on Etsy and Good Market Global, with plans to expand through resellers.
Consumer products are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 4,500, competitive with mainstream brands such as H&M. Pricing is framed around cost per use, encouraging buyers to view purchases as long-term investments. Products are designed for disassembly so components cotton, metal, belts can be separated and recycled more easily at end of life. Scrap material is maximised through jewellery, patchwork, toys and home décor, often combined with Kantha embroidery.
Sales occur primarily through the company website (about half of online volume), marketplaces including Myntra, FirstCry and Zwende, and offline channels such as exhibitions and flea markets Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Dastkar, Little Flea, Sunday Soul Sante and others.
A Measured Approach to Sustainability
Dwij began with an initial investment of Rs 6 lakh and raised an additional Rs 20 lakh after the pandemic. For now, the brand concentrates on denim, seeking to master one material before expanding further. “Our approach is truly sustainable; we are not aiming for drastic numbers, as our model is artisanal and hand-done,” Kalluri says.
She is critical of how loosely the word “sustainability” is often used in fashion. “In the name of sustainability, people are bringing anything and everything, but it’s not even making an impact. True upcycling is about giving discarded fabrics a real second life, not creating new waste in the process.”
By combining careful material recovery, skilled handcraft, functional design and a clear circular mindset, Dwij demonstrates that discarded denim can become durable, desirable products while generating meaningful social and environmental value. In an industry still dominated by linear production, the Mumbai startup offers a quieter, more deliberate model of growth, one rooted in second chances.