Now, turn wedding garlands, floral offerings into couture

This festive season, give your floral offerings a new lease of life courtesy of brands crafting apparel with flowers from weddings, and temple rituals. Brands include Mulya, bageeya, adiv pure nature, akane, among others.

Mulya, Uttarakhand 

In August 2019, Alisha Maindoliya decided to quit her nine-to-six job in Jaipur and move back to her hometown Dehradun. The idea, she says, was to help others like her by creating job opportunities locally. A year later, she founded Mulya (meaning value in Hindi), which crafts hand-dyed, eco-printed apparel from waste flowers. 

Flowers are collected from local temples, sorted, and then eco-printed onto fabrics. After collecting and segregating the flowers, the petals are placed on the mordanted and dyed fabric to create a pattern, which is steamed. “If not used immediately, petals are cut out and dried in the sun for later use. During eco-printing, the leftover residue is then utilised to create compost,” explains Alisha, who launched the Jaimala edition in 2021 to help people preserve memories through flowers. Mulya’s product line comprises apparel, woollens, and home furnishings such as curtains and pillows. 

“We mostly work with protein and cellulose-based fibres such as cotton, linen, cotton silk, organza silk, and a few blended fabrics. These are outsourced from various suppliers across India, and locals are involved in collecting seasonal flowers, and embroidery,” says Alisha, 27, who also conducts a skill development programme for the workers.

She explains how clients can bring them flowers that hold value to them — from their wedding, a festival, or even their kitchen garden. “We encourage clients to their bouquets safe, and we use them to craft an accessory or garment.” Mulya collects flowers from all festive occasions, and people donate flowers from their Deepavali decorations and puja fowers, adds Alisha.

With this specific flower project, Mulya has catered to more than 500 clients. “Stoles, scarves, and saris are just a few products we have produced for wedding favours. A particular client had gifts made for all the guests using flowers from the wedding. We embroider the name and details, turning each item into a souvenir,” says Alisha, who recently dropped her winter collection named Dunda Diaries comprising woollen stoles, scarves, sweaters, tie-up vests, among other apparel. 

Upwards of ₹1,500 on @mulyacreation on Instagram