Manifesto

Our idea of making clothes is much related to how we were raised in the rural parts of India. Our rural upbringing taught us the art of reusing and preserving resources and the philosophy of ‘Jugaad’, meaning to find the quickest way to effectively fix something, like using patches and applique to cover-up holes in old clothes. When you grow up with limited resources you automatically imbibe the habit of using whatever you have to the fullest. Developing Margn, these very ideologies guided us to reuse resources from our supply chain like using deadstock from factories and creating clothes that can be handed down over generations.

Today, around 40% of our collections are composed of upcycled/recycled materials such as old parachutes, mats, deadstock yarns/fabrics among others. The other half comprises innovative and sustainable materials such as biodegradable yarns, recycled polyamides, handwoven fabrics, handknits. To top it off, we package our garments in upcycled sack bags. Most of our fabrics are sourced from suppliers that are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), GRS (for recycled yarns for knits) or other environmental certification organisations. To further reduce our carbon footprint, we use handwoven fabrics that require little to no electricity for their production.

Having admired the idea of making things by hand, we configure a new textile or craft practice every season, subsequently reducing our carbon footprint while preserving craftsmanship and the human touch. For SS-23, we focused on the craft of ‘carpet-weaving’ called Chattai, and for FW23 we chose Sujani, an ancient handmade quilt woven on a handloom. Over the years, we have built a collegial relationship between us locals, learning from and uplifting each other. Taking this idea forward, all our handknits are developed by our all women’s team residing in the northern parts of Himalayas. We have been working with them for 5 years, and will continue to do so going forward.

On one hand we rely on traditional cultural practices in some areas of production, on the other, we invest in technological advancements that can help with conscious solutions in the long run. This includes working with Econyl for Recycled polyesters in knits and woven fabrics and different finishes such as cool wool technology.

What we focus on the most is sustaining people. Having struggled with finding a platform ourselves to share our story, we empathise with young, upcoming talent trying to find their place in the industry. We have launched an effort called ‘Margn’s Odyssey’ to provide upcoming, talented individuals with a creative platform through Margn’s social media to showcase their work and talk about who they are as human beings.