Priyanka is a bubbly 19-year-old and is in Third Year B.com. She lives with her parents and two younger siblings; a brother and sister. She loves to read books and listens to Marathi music. The first time when she came to meet us, she was bouncing with excitement, waiting to see how we upcycle waste plastic! That enthusiasm is what we want to see and feel among today’s youth, and that is why they are rightly called ‘Our Future’.

Latika comes from a big joint family where everyone is encouraged to work and be financially independent. Before joining EcoKaari, she has worked in various industries, even in an electronic company. She loves to weave on the Handloom and feels good that she is helping us to save the waste from littering our beautiful planet.

Sujata is a local from Pune and lives with her husband, mother-in-law and a kid. This is her first job as her baby boy is all grown up now! When she joined us, she was scared if she will be able to do upcycling with us as she had never seen such an initiative before. She used to get all tensed up, but now we can clearly see the joy of crafting on her face!

Aparna comes from a joint family of 13 members, including her. She was introduced to EcoKaari by one of our artisans as she loves arts and crafts! She has been personally upcycling many fabric and other household waste into utility products for nearby schools and neighbours. She mainly helps us make amazing fabric patterns and takes charge of providing the raw material accordingly.

Suman used to work in a kindergarten school earlier as a helper before joining EcoKaari. Due to the pandemic, she lost her job, but fortunately, she got to know about us through one of our artisans and very enthusiastically joined our upcycling initiative. Now, she enjoys working with other ladies and can support her family.

Smita Kaku's about to complete her half-century! She loves that we celebrate all the festivals and milestones at Ecokaari, and we can't wait to celebrate her birthday! Kaku wanted to work to support her family and joined our team. She liked the idea of helping the environment and helping others achieve this goal! She loves to sit on the handloom, has grown a keen understanding of the colour palette and has become a master at waste plastic cutting!

Mansi is from Maharashtra, and she completed her studies till 10th std. Soon after that, she started learning the art of stitching and worked with many private tailors. She was also working with EcoAd, a paper bag making organisation for about four years. She was involved in making products as well as helping the other artisan in their work at Aarohana EcoSocial. She has now joined EcoKaari as a master weaver and heads the weaving unit at EcoKaari.

Radhika joined EcoKaari after working at a soldering unit. When she joined us, our processes seemed new to her but she grasped the techniques quickly and enjoys working as an artisan with at EcoKaari.

Rutika joined EcoKaari through a friend who works with us. She is inquisitive and meticulous, and enjoys her time spent at the weaving unit. She is excited to learn more from her fellow artisans.

Pooja is currently doing her M.Com while also working with us at EcoKaari. She has been with us right from our inception, and has become an integral part of our production system.

Nandini moved to Pune to start working with us at EcoKaari. She oversees our office administration and assists with product quality checks. In her free time, Nandini enjoys a little stitching once in a while.

Akram Bhai is a tailor at EcoKaari, who joined us last year. Due to Covid, his previous workplace closed down in 2020, and he took a job at a general store where he was struggling to support his big family. He used to stitch school, office, travelling bags, and more before joining EcoKaari. Although Akram Bhai found it hard to work with EcoKaari’s Upcycled-Handwoven fabric as he had never worked with such material before and was ready to leave within a month! Glad he didn’t! It took some time, but now he knows all the product designs. Well, that shouldn’t be a surprise as he has experience of over 17 years in the bag-making industry. He stays with his wife, two small cute kids and parents. He loves listening to music, and we can hear all types of songs in the tailoring room all day long (we sometimes tell him to increase the volume also!!).

Akhtar Jabbar Momin has been in the bag making industry for more than 26 years. He lives in Pune with his wife and three children. Akhtar Bhai, as we all call him, loves to play cricket and is very good at it! He had his own business but due to unfortunate reasons, had to close down and joined EcoKaari as one of the master tailors along with Shaikh Chacha. He is the magic behind our upcoming products, so watch out for unique Upcycled-Handwoven eko products.

Simba was EcoKaari's mascot, who had adopted us and provided pet therapy with cat food as his payment! Unfortunately, Simba has passed but is loved dearly and remembered fondly. We miss you, Simbu!

Samar is our content creator and has been with us for some time now. He’s an aspiring filmmaker and hopes to win an Oscar one day! He loves his coffee and spending time with his dog.

Tanvi has had a keen interest in art and craft since a young age, especially with recycling whatever she could find around her. Taking this interest forward she pursued her degree in Industrial Arts and Design practices from Srishti Institute, Bangalore. She has been a part of our design ideations and helps us develop new products. The entire concept of UPCYCLING plastic while incorporating India's different craft forms with it is what inspires her to be a part of EcoKaari.

Siddhi is working at EcoKaari as a Design R&D. She took her Bachelor's degree in Textile Design from NIFT, Hyderabad. After her graduation, she worked with a few companies for over three years as a textile designer and production manager. She has also worked as a freelancer for a year, before joining us. A keen interest in the process of Upcycling and developing products out of the same got her to work with EcoKaari.

Irshad completed her MSW (Master of Social Work) from Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune. She has been working with Idea foundation an NGO which aim for education for all. She was a teacher and a motivator for the school dropouts to join the school again. Earlier, she was Production Manager at Aarohana EcoSocial Developments for 2 years and now has joined EcoKaari. At EcoKaari, she manages the production of both the units; weaving and tailoring. She feels fortunate to work with the team as it works towards the environment as well as helps in improving rural life by providing job opportunities.

Shivalika has completed her Masters in International Studies from Symbiosis International University and was looking for an opportunity to give back to our beloved Mother Earth. Thus, she jumped on the offer to work with her favourite brand, 'EcoKaari - Humanising Fashion. She helps us in Sales and Marketing and loves her job and feels fortunate enough to be a part of a team that works towards conserving the environment and enabling rural livelihoods. She previously worked as Communications Associate in Aarohana EcoSocial Developments. She is committed and lively by nature and is an animal lover too. "In every walk in with nature, one receives far more than he seeks" - John Muir.

Nandan Bhat is the Founder and Director of EcoKaari - Humanising Fashion. A social enterprise working towards conserving the environment by Upcycling single-use waste plastic and enabling livelihoods for women from humble backgrounds. Nandan has over a decade of experience working in the Business Development and Procurement sectors of reputed companies like Tata Telecom, Sony, Future Group and Sify. With profuse expertise in managing projects, large teams and market relations, Nandan started EcoKaari - Humanising Fashion in 2020, after the first Covid lockdown when he realised the negative impact of waste plastic, especially plastic carry bags and MLP (food wrappers) on our planet and the struggle of women who are not able to get job opportunities due to their educational qualification, age and marital status. At his heart, he is an innovator and has been pivotal in starting and setting up the innovative process of Upcycling Waste Plastic into Sustainable Fabric on Charkha and Handloom. He dreams of integrating various forms of Indigenous Indian Crafts with EcoKaari's Upcycled - Handcrafted Fabric. Thus, giving new hope for the revival of crafts which are on the verge of extinction due to mechanisation and fast fashion industries.

Dnyanada was the Head of Design at EcoKaari. A textile engineer by education, she is responsible for developing and managing all aspects of our design and creative output. She ensures that the design and creative deliverables are aligned with our stakeholder expectations and executed within budget and deadlines. Dnyanada says, "The concept of upcycling instead of recycling (which is even more harmful and practically impossible) is what took my heart. Working with a brand like EcoKaari validates my activisms for a sustainable lifestyle. Its the practice to my preach". She strongly believes in, "My Earth, My Responsibility. But Together, We Can Do Better!".

Manasi, a Textile Designer and Visual Artist who graduated from Srishti Institute of Design, Bangalore. I love working with interesting structures, textures and organic forms. I’m striving to create an atmosphere through patterns and weaves. As a multidisciplinary artist, I like to illustrate my thoughts and have a keen eye for graphics. When not at my desk, I’m likely to be found wandering in nature, dipping my feet in streams or scouring thrift stores for hidden treasures. My camera rarely leaves my side.