At Two’s Company, all is sustainable

The latest is an attempt by two Chennai girls in their early 20s from NIFT, who wanted to explore beyond consumerism and ecologically unsustainable living. Veena Balakrishnan and Sudarshana Pai came up with Two’s Company that not only promotes products with a difference, but also a fashion initiative to reduce the carbon footprint.

“After graduating, we both connected at a sustainable lifestyle brand where we realised this is what we were passionate about and our first plan was to start reducing the chemicals we use on our body and the plastic landfill that we contribute to,” explains Veena.

The duo started by collecting filter coffee waste in their homes and adding essential oils, developed a repurposed coffee scrub. Sudarshana says, “We also went to nearby shops, restaurants, etc to get the material. Next, we are following up with a plant-based shampoo, all-natural toothpowder, bamboo/ steel straws, etc this is all done to promote responsible consumerism that is affordable.” While other such brands exist, they appeal to a niche market – but the girls want to focus on affordability and reach to the masses. However their larger purpose is to educate millennials in the city to live consciously which they did with one of Chennai’s first second-hand sale.

“Being from fashion school, our wardrobes were cluttered with lots of clothes that were barely used. The idea of second-hand shopping is very popular in the west, but is looked down upon here. We wanted the fashion community to embrace this actively. If a dress is worn 50 times as opposed to 5-6 times it reduces the carbon footprint dramatically. The response has been fantastic,” concludes Veena.