Keeping it natural

While there is a growing demand for organic food, why not for clothes, thought Shruti Dharwadkar, who started Moriko Organic, a venture that caters exclusively to organic clothing for kids. Apart from her love for nature, she wanted to build a business that combined sustainability with fashion. Dharwadkar says, “I am sensitive to synthetics and chemical dyes, and I realised that babies and children are the most affected by excessive usage of chemicals in fabrics. Therefore, I ventured into sustainable clothing.”

Although the market for organic clothing is currently in its infancy, there is an effort in pockets across the country to make it big. Due to growing awareness, consumers are also gravitating towards it. So, how does Dharwadkar assure consumers that Moriko is 100% organic? “I found that there were many organic products but only a few offered the guarantee of being organic throughout their supply chain. Our products are certified by Global Organic Textile Standard,” she explains.

With an initial investment of Rs.10 lakh, Dharwadkar has been bootstrapping until now and is open to funding in the near future. The three-month old venture uses direct sales instead of traditional distribution. While the venture is yet to create a buzz, Dharwadkar is keen on participating in exhibitions, where the footfalls are high. “This would be a better way to spread the word and I am talking to websites that deal with sustainable products.”

She believes the best way to connect with her end-consumers is through fairytales; hence the designs are based on different stories. The debut collection was an ode to the completion of 150 years of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Moriko Organic uses uniquely created blocks for hand printing and medicinally-rich herbal dyeing techniques for its fabrics. The idea is to deliberately keep the collection limited unlike mass-produced items, thereby ensuring exclusivity for its garments.