December 14: Resham-House of Silk is one of the homegrown brands in India that gained popularity due to its sustainability goals. The brand came to light when it launched the new collection of sarees and fabrics that used natural dyes. Being a brand that dedicates to promoting eco-friendliness, Resham wants to achieve one goal at a time in a natural way. Resham manufactures an exclusive line of sarees and clothing for every woman, irrespective of their age.

Founded by Vishakha Agrawal, Resham has unlocked a new feat by being the Youngest Female Entrepreneur. After completing her schooling at Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya Gwalior, at the age of 18, she has started her new journey of creating her own clothing brand. Since her childhood, she has been familiar with different kinds of fabrics and textiles. As her dad runs a successful wholesale textile business, Vishakha always had a keen interest to explore the varieties in this textile industry.

But her motive was simple; she wanted to eventually create a clean line that would not contribute to the pollution of our environment. Over the years, water pollution has witnessed a massive hike and clothing industries contribute 17 to 20% in today’s water pollution. The synthetic dyes are not only contaminating the water but also are a threat to aquatic life. Also, in this world of fast fashion, where everything is about commercialisation, Vishakha wanted to uphold rich cultural history and artistry in India.

On asking her about her inspiration, she said, “When we planned on starting Resham, I felt like there is a dire need of a revolution in the fashion industry. As the fashion industry is moving so fast, the wastage of clothes and fabrics have been more than ever. Besides, the use Of natural dyes has been lost over the years. I wanted to revive the long-lost histories of India that were harmless and always promoted art.” Be it sarees or clothing, her team of talented craftsmen and craftswomen meticulously handcrafts everything. It is a time-taking process, but she isn’t ready to compromise on her tenets, which makes Resham unique.

Being a new-age entrepreneur, she is all about empowering women. Along with that, she is vocal for local. Her team consists of aspiring women who share the common motive of conserving nature. Even the artisans are mostly women. The main objective is to keep the art alive through the works of locals. She said, “Since commercialisation has taken over the market, we cannot just see the talented artists losing their art and job. We must be responsible and start respecting the artists who actually started this artistic movement.”

Now, when it’s about natural dyes, she and her team handpick the materials so that only the best quality raw materials are used. As Resham is growing every single day, Vishakha wants to promote sustainability with her work. In the near future, she is looking forward to making some other sustainable changes with her brand that will benefit mankind. With Resham, Vishakha is motivated to make her dreams come true.