[100 Emerging Women Leaders] This engineer created a sustainable brand to upcycle waste fabric and clothes

Like many working women, Sujata Chatterjee often wondered what to do with the clothes in her wardrobe that she simply wouldn’t use again. 

“Everyone I spoke to kept saying they had the same problem. It got me thinking that if this was a problem for most people, there needed to be a sustainable solution,” says Sujata, in a conversation with HerStory.

Researching her problem, Sujata realised that fabric wastage was a huge global issue, one that was rarely talked about. 

“There are World Economic Forum reports that say that up to 60% of all manufactured clothes are actually wasted. I found that no organisation was working on this, nobody was talking about it. I also realised that while I have excess in my wardrobe, there are so many who need these clothes and so many other women who need a livelihood,” Sujata says. 

Keen to figure out a solution, the engineer in her launched Kolkata-based Twirl.Store. Sujata set out on her entrepreneurial journey in 2017 as an initiative to “reduce cloth wastage, encourage women empowerment, conserve natural resources like water, and meet the clothing needs of the less fortunate”.

The founder felt it was important to build a solution that helped society at large and the environment, and “get the conversation started”. 

Twirl collects all unwanted clothing and fabric from individuals and organisations. A section of these are given to people in slums and villages for use. The rest of the material is upcycled into new products such as bags, accessories, and gift items, sold online and offline. People who donate are rewarded them with points that can be redeemed to buy upcycled products on the website.

“All work is done by rural women. We convert waste into beautiful eco-friendly, handcrafted products,” says Sujata, who had no idea about fashion or the world of entrepreneurship. However, she learnt everything on the job. 

She says she faced an uphill battle when she started as her model was unique. Most people were naysayers and believed she would never be able to be successful “with zero experience in the space” and by basing herself in Kolkata. 

“Many told me that I should move to Bengaluru or Delhi, or go abroad. Also, solo women founders have it tough. Everyone wanted a male counterpart,” she recalls, adding that she decided to run the business out of Kolkata and only with women. 

Today, Twirl is an all women organisation and has a team of over 20. 

Advising all women, Sujata says, “Believe in yourself, because if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody will. We are too busy looking for support, validation, and encouragement, but it starts with yourself.”