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I WAS A SARI
How to design a
sustainable fashion label
in India for Europe?
RESEARCH AND STRATEGY :
Positioning, Research, Local Walks, Visual Audit, Brand Strategy and Brand Architecture
DESIGN:
Nomenclature, Brand Copy, Identity System, Creative Direction, Visual Language and Photography
ACTIVATION:
Packaging, Social Media and Website
THE LOCAL MOTIVE
​The fashion world needs to become sustainable faster than any other industry. That is why when the ‘Gucci Equilibrium’ backed ‘I was a Sari’ team approached us, we knew we had to tell this India-born multi-layered brand story with nuance and set a new normal for the fashion industry.
DESIGN PROBLEM
​I was a Sari has been making luxury lounge
& resort wear for European audiences using upcycled saris from India since 2013. It is one of those rare B-Corp certified fashion brands that can truly claim to be ‘sustainable,’ balancing their ecological and social responsibilities at every step. Uptil 2024, they had recycled 1,500,000 m2 of saris and employed over 650 artisans.
Because of their great work, this project was eventually spotted by the Gucci Equilibrium program as a testament to sustainable fashion.
The IWAS team then got LOCAL on board to help them rebrand to look a lot more international and tell their entire story more holistically.
​We found that their brand communication was more aligned with the identity of an NGO, emphasizing their social initiatives. It also had the tired narrative around the west needing to ‘rescue’ the east with charity.
We wanted to shift this lens.
They needed to now speak like a confident voice in fashion where sustainability has been a much abused buzzword. A voice that would lead the way the fashion industry change the way it did business, where sustainable goals didnt mean compromising on trends and company profits.
A changemakers brand
Stemming from the name ‘I was a Sari’, we used the same framing device to frame the brand’s change-making theme. We used ‘I was… now I am’ across its different subgroups of change-makers to convey various brand stories.
1. The story of the IWAS consumer who changed from fast fashion to conscious shopping,
2. the story of the seamstresses who transformed after joining IWAS and
3. the story of the product from the sari to its new life.
Artisans as enablers: Don't tell us, show us as equal.
Fashion designers are often portrayed as celebrities, untouchable. But what about the rest of their team that brings that vision to life? There is a social and cultural hierarchy with which we present the makers, the craftspeople, the tailors and the staff behind our brands. Even more so if the brand is an NGO selling to the west.
Often their personal lives and tribulations are capitalised on to show the brand in a philanthropic light.
However the truth of the matter is that these artisans are working professionals, doing shifts and building and using their skills to make these brands come to life. They are the reason you can hold these designers’ visions in your hands. And so we made sure that our artisans were portrayed in the same light in which the models and the end consumer were shot and written about.
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Types of Stitching
in India
How I was a sari
got a name?
A small-batch, limited edition website
Since each product was made out of a sari, the size options you would get from that pattern would be limited. This was part of the charm of
the brand as well a potential (perceived) shortcoming. We had
to weave this into the website’s interface as well as tone of voice.
A changemakers brand
Stemming from the name ‘I was a Sari’, we used the same framing device to frame the brand’s change-making theme. We used ‘I was… now I am’ across its different subgroups of change-makers to convey various brand stories.
1. The story of the IWAS consumer who changed from fast fashion to conscious shopping,
2. the story of the seamstresses who transformed after joining IWAS and
3. the story of the product from the sari to its new life.
PHOTOGRAPHY
We have a cross-disciplinary team of design researchers, multilingual writers, graphic designers, typographers, and photojournalists based in local markets that are focused on building culturally nuanced brands.We have a cross-disciplinary team of design researchers, multilingual writers, graphic designers, typographers, and photojournalists based in local markets that are focused on building culturally nuanced brands.We have a cross-disciplinary team of design researchers, multilingual writers, graphic designers, typographers, and photojournalists based in local markets that are focused on building culturally nuanced brands.
IMPACT
We were able to increase the website hit points over the span of 3 months after the rebranding.
65%
increase in social media reach
65%
increase in social media reach
“Their patience in listening, ability to read between the lines, attention to detail, and understanding of customer needs at the crossroads of East and West made LOCAL a great fit for our brand.”
Stefano Funari
MD, I was a sari
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