Indian denim label Nece Gene (the name originates from the word ‘necessary’) sets its focus on fashion from denim industry waste. The designer behind, Neha Celly, is the founder of denim design and research atelier Bluehemia, who made her vision come true to create her own fully sustainable, season-less denim label.

The first apparel collection 'One’ consists of nine pieces, every few months some pieces will be added based on the discards Celly gets. Still, the Bangalore-based wants to keep on offering only a limited number of styles, ensuring no virgin cotton or any new material is used. Instead Celly uses bright blue bases of denim waste with washing kept to a bare minimum.
She partners with Indian denim mill Arvind Mills, that provides denim industry waste in the form of fiber, yarn, fabric or garments that Celly uses to design her denim looks. "I believe that sustainability doesn’t need to come at the cost of design. In no way should it be less aesthetic or boring,“ the designer says. Collection One is currently sold via the label’s own web shop on necegene.com; retail prices range between $112 for a denim skirt and $420 for denim dresses.

Last July, Nece Gene was selected among 15 sustainable designers to take part at (the digital version of) Helsinki Fashion Week.

In the future, different lifestyle products all made from denim scrap will be added: The waste from the collection is further being used to make compressed denim hard tiles used for furniture, jewelry and paper (tree-free).



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