Interviews by Akanksha Pandey. Photographs by Asad Sheikh. Styled by Sarah Rajkotwala.
Model: Brijesh Yadav
Pratyush Kumar Maurya of Pieux
Age: 34
Hometown: Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur-born Pratyush Kumar Maurya’s luxury sustainable fashion brand Pieux, which won the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge (in partnership with UN India) back in March, presented its new collection, Illusion, at the recently concluded FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week. The collection is inspired by the “incredible world of life under the microscope” with “illusions” created through techniques like pleating, weaving, eco-friendly digital printing and 3D printing. It reflects the brand’s core philosophy based on the concept of circularity, which means that it can be reused, recycled and upcycled till the end. The collection uses R|Elan™ FeelFresh fabric “created from specially-engineered fibres and yarns with embedded silver that inhibits bacterial growth in the garment so no more sweaty odours” as well as its own Cartex textile, GRS-certified recycled nylon, GRS-certified recycled polyester and certified organic cotton. This award-winning collection also utilises deconstructed and reconstructed old clothes to great effect in oversized and comfortable silhouettes.
The designer on his processes and vision for a greener world:
“My love for sustainable fashion started during my fashion school days and I knew that whenever I started my own label, sustainability would be one of its pillars. As a responsible global citizen, I believe that I need to give back to the environment and I try to do that with complete sincerity.”
“We create our own Cartex textile, which is an upcycled handloom textile made out of discarded carpet yarns. We are associated with a carpet export house from where we procure carpet yarns that are left behind during the manufacturing process. After the procurement, we get in touch with the weaver community and, with their expertise, convert discarded yarns into Cartex. This entire process is sustainable since Cartex is created on the handloom. We pay fair wages to the weavers, keeping the entire cycle ethical. We make sure that we can keep these discarded yarns within the circular loop so that nothing reaches the landfills or oceans.”
“Aspiring and emerging designers have become more conscious while creating products and packaging, which is a great sign. Gen Z, being more experimental and curious regarding their style and appearance, will add a freshness to fashion where everyone will look for more exclusive one-off pieces in the near future.”
“We are trying to revolutionise fashion, one product at a time, with our techniques, details, craftsmanship and the circular nature of our products…. And so, after almost 10 years of research and ideation, I was able to go live commercially with my label in January 2022.”
