Kanpur friends upcycle 300 kg of temple flowers, kitchen waste into natural dyes for clothing line
Kanpur: Two 24-year-old friends have turned discarded temple flowers and kitchen waste into a sustainable fashion venture, creating natural dyes for clothes while generating jobs for rural women.
Akriti and Bhavya started SewMuchBetter in Kanpur after years of questioning fast fashion. Bhavya gravitated toward fashion and textile design, while Akriti focused on sustainability and the environmental cost of consumption.
Today, around six temples set aside used flowers for the studio. The team collects roughly 300 kg of floral and kitchen waste, which they process into natural dyes for fabric. The approach keeps organic waste out of landfills and rivers while replacing chemical dyes in their clothing line.
The studio has also created local employment. Ritu Devi, from Ramaipur village in Kanpur district, joined SewMuchBetter in March 2025. “I do finishing work,” she told The Better India. “I love this work. I have three kids, and still I can give about eight hours here. It feels like a community.”
For women in rural Uttar Pradesh, such opportunities have been rare. Work tied to fashion that offers both income and a sense of belonging is still uncommon in many villages.
That is beginning to change inside the Kanpur studio. What started as a small experiment with waste and color is now a growing enterprise that links sustainability, local livelihoods, and craft.
