LoveChange®–a Goa-based sustainable luxury clothing brand that has grown slowly and sustainably, despite a global pandemic

• ByStartupStory     |    February 14, 2023

Methodically designing and manufacturing its products using ethically sourced, organic fabrics that are dyed using patented herbal dyeing technologies, LoveChange® is a sustainable luxury clothing brand that is thriving in the slow fashion industry using a sustainable and eco-conscious approach. Founded in 2017 by Dhirta Rikhye, LoveChange® started its operations in 2019 and is now arguably the fastest-growing sustainable luxury brand in Goa.

The story behind LoveChange®

Dhirta Rikhye is the founder and creative director of Love Change. A trained jewellery designer from Delhi with over 15 years of experience working as a designer, she founded LoveChange® as a response to the devastation the fast fashion industry was wreaking on the environment, industry stakeholders and consumers. The first two years of her journey, from 2017 to 2019 were filled with intense study and research into sustainable fashion and its ethos. It was also filled with travel, allowing her to build strategic and personal relationships within the ethical fashion community, ranging from farming communities, handloom weavers, tailors and artisans to retail partners who shared in her vision.

The purpose behind LoveChange®

She says “Our purpose is the pursuit of sustainable business practices by promoting conscious consumerism and conscious capitalism.” With this purpose driving her, Dhirta is building LoveChange® into a brand that gives back to its stakeholders, the environment, and the community equally.

Handwoven, chemical-free products with near-zero emissions and waste

LoveChange® believes in “slow fashion” and “timeless designs”. The company takes pride in working with suppliers who are committed to ethical, community and environmentally conscious business practices. The farmers from whom they source their raw materials follow traditional, slow, eco-friendly farming techniques of crop rotation, organic fertilization and chemical-free pest control to maintain the nutrient quality of the soil. All the fabrics are hand-woven and hand spun by traditional Indian artisans using traditional handlooms; dyed using traditional, eco-conscious and sustainable practices.

Supporting traditional artisans and small farmers

Dhirta firmly believes in fair wages and building and maintaining healthy communities. LoveChange® works with small tailoring communities and creates opportunities close to where they live, usually in the villages themselves by working with strategic local partners in rural India. This prevents labour migration to big cities and to large factories which are mostly geared towards labour exploitation, poor living and hygiene conditions, low pay and long working hours.

Circular fashion, upcycling, near zero-waste and sustainable luxury at LoveChange®

Dhirta says that the conscious consumerism movement is gaining momentum. Many people are demanding accountability and transparency from the fashion industry and are becoming aware that their purchase choices have a global impact. To help the conscious consumer understand how their purchase choices impact the stakeholders of LoveChange®, she has introduced QR codes on the labels that display the complete lifecycle of the product, allowing their clientele to know exactly what they’re investing in. “And make no mistake, each LoveChange® product is an investment. We don’t follow fast fashion trends. Our designs are timeless and built to become heirlooms that can be handed down through generations.” She adds, “Each LoveChange® product comes with its unique storage packaging–made of upcycled or surplus or “waste” material, that keeps the garment fresh and usable for years.” This simple practice contributes greatly towards the near-zero waste target that Dhirta is focused on.

Adding to this, LoveChange® re-purposes fresh, unsold inventory by creating new designs from existing products. Unsold inventory is periodically assessed, taken apart piece by piece and then fashioned into an entirely new garment, ready to be re-introduced to the market. REMAKE is an internal project that has brought in upcycling and has reduced waste to near zero.

Another interesting concept that builds on circular fashion that LoveChange® has created is the “RESELL” option on their website. A consumer can sell a used garment directly via the LoveChange® website. The pre-owned garment is assessed, the original client gets paid a fair price and the pre-owned or “rescued” garments are then re-sold as a rescue piece at a lower cost, extending their life and preventing mindless disposal and wastage.

Plans for the future

Dhirta says she is happy with the customer traffic and feedback that LoveChange® is receiving. They have done well and grown since 2019, even during the COVID pandemic which gives Dhirta a reason to be confident that the designs and products are well received. LoveChange® has expanded to physical stores in Bangalore and Dubai through strategic partnerships and is looking at Delhi and Mumbai as their next targets.

Quintessential advice to become a successful entrepreneur

“Dhirta” means patience and true to her name, she has shown that patience, perseverance, and sincerity are the cornerstones of building a successful and impactful brand and business model. So the next time when you are going shopping just LOVECHANGE® it.

Their products are available online on their website

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