Indian fashion designer worn by Beyoncé, Priyanka Chopra on how feminism and sustainability are at the heart of her business
- Indian fashion designer Anita Dongre started her business aged 23 and says that no woman seeking work will ever be turned away from her factory
- Feminist values have been at the heart of her brand, but her true ambition is to create an sustainable, carbon-neutral company
With stores in India and New York, multiple clothing brands and a global celebrity following, Indian fashion designer Anita Dongre is a feminist powerhouse in a male-dominated industry. But her true ambition is to create an environmentally sustainable company, she says.
“Sometimes I wish I could just give up design and focus on sustainability full-time,” the Mumbai-based Dongre says during an interview at her factory outside India’s financial capital.
Transforming a company with an annual turnover of US$105 million into a carbon-neutral enterprise is a daunting proposition, but Dongre has never been one to shy away from challenges.
When she started her business aged 23, armed with two sewing machines and a staff of two male tailors perched on the balcony of the bedroom she shared with her sisters, she was the first woman in her conservative family to work.