Last month, I kicked off a monthly interview series in which I’ll be chatting with entrepreneurs, creatives, and mental health experts. These individuals will share insights from their own lives that can help us all become better creatives (and human beings in general!).
For our second interview, I’m excited to introduce Niha Elety, the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Tega Collective, a sustainable South Asian clothing brand. Niha talks about her inspiration behind Tega and discusses the process of working with indigenous communities across India to spotlight their craft and give them the recognition they deserve.
This interview highlights the power of using fashion and textiles to tell stories and keep traditions alive. Let’s take a look at Tega’s journey!
A Brief Backstory
South Asian fashion has long been subject to appropriation, from bindis as accessories to henna tattoos during music festival season. Tega Collective is tackling this issue and returning credit to those who deserve it. The new clothing line honors Adivasi (indigenous) South Asian traditions by co-creating each of its products with a particular indigenous community. This not only showcases indigenous heritage through ancestral colors, patterns, and crafting techniques, but ensures that these groups aren’t being put out of work for their own skills. Tega also returns 15% of its profits to the communities, with the aim of eliminating the “traditional hierarchy of power and profit.”
Interview
B: What inspired you to start Tega?
Niha: There’s a huge issue in the sustainable fashion space regarding size and gender inclusivity. I wanted to make clothing more accessible for people of different genders and sizes.
During the pandemic, I was introduced to an organization called Adivasi Lives Matter. It amplifies the voices of Adivasi youth and communities in India, which are the different indigenous tribes. I became really close to a lot of people in the organization, and they talked about how there are so many tribes whose crafts were stolen by people within India or even Western brands abroad.
B: Wow, that’s so cool you were able to make that connection. Do you have a background in fashion?
Niha: I studied visual arts growing up, and spent the first half of my life in the U.S. and the latter half in India.
In college, I studied biomedical engineering — something completely different. But on the side, I always wanted to have a creative outlet for my true passion, sustainable fashion. I was surrounded by that in India, with all the textiles I saw and artisan communities that I met.
B: That’s awesome that you decided to pursue your passion. How exactly did Tega begin collaborating with the Adivasi communities?
Niha: I wanted to focus on tribal communities from south or northeast India since those are underrepresented regions. And being South Indian myself, I thought it was important to have representation in a space where there isn’t enough of it.
Through Adivasi Lives Matter, I found an NGO called Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra, based in the South Indian state of Karnataka. Contacts there connected us to the Adivasi communities.
B: I see. So, what’s the process behind designing Tega’s clothing items?
Niha: Our first collection was inspired by the Lambani tribal artisans in Sandur, Karnataka.
From our interactions with them, we found out they wanted everyday consumers to feel more connected to their craft and to be able to purchase from them. We thought it would be interesting to incorporate textile embroidery designs that they’re proud of, and add on Western silhouettes. This could help reach the modern consumer that they wanted.
We also asked the tribal artisans what their favorite colors were and included those — a lot of red, green, and blue. The inspiration behind the designs came from tribal women. They wear vibrant colors and don’t subscribe to the monochromes and minimalism we see today.
B: Which specific fabrics, dyes, and materials do you use to create Tega’s clothing?
Niha: In the regions we’re in, the artisans use a lot of khadi — indigenous cotton — in their work. We also incorporate Eri silk for our flowy garments. In the future, we want to collaborate with a tribe in the northeast that uses lotus stem fibers.
In terms of colors, we’re using madder root, indigo, and marigold to create red, blue, and green. They also come together nicely to create a periwinkle and a deep red that we’re using on our clothes.
Embroidery-wise there are 14 main stitches that the Lambani use. We’ve incorporated a lot of the designs they already do, as well as a few modern art-based wavy patterns on a few of our pieces. And the mirror work and cowrie shells, too.
I feel like everyone’s trying to find that one fabric that’s the most sustainable. That truly doesn’t exist. Whatever fibers are native and local to the regions you’re growing them in are the most sustainable and honor the native biodiversity.
B: How fascinating! When did you guys launch Tega and how have things been since then?
Niha: We launched on July 20, 2021. So far, it’s been pretty good. We were featured in Vogue India, and it was exciting for the artisans to have that recognition.
We’ve had a lot of great feedback from customers about not only the actual clothing, but what our brand is focused on.
As the founder, I’ve realized how difficult direct-to-consumer models can be. We want to give our brand more exposure beyond the online setting and make face-to-face connections with consumers, so we did a pop-up at New York Fashion Week last year, too.
B: What type of products do you offer?
Niha: For our first collection, we’re focusing on interesting versions of everyday basics.
We have our Alankara Balloon Sleeve Crop Top, button-ups, long Kurti-style dresses, and even street wear-inspired pants, hoodies, and shorts.
We wanted to ensure our clothes weren’t gendered, and size inclusivity was also important to us. There are also drawstrings in the back of our pants and shorts so that people can wear them high-waisted or lower-waisted.
B: What future visions do you have for the company?
Niha: Currently, we’re getting ready to launch our new ocean-inspired collection, Samudram, next month.
Beyond that, we want to collaborate with different communities and amplify their traditions on our Indigenous Knowledge Fund.
It would be really interesting to explore home goods as well — everyday items like linens and tableware.
In terms of scale, we obviously want to grow, but we don’t want to grow to the point of overconsumption or creating unnecessary waste. Maintaining a level that is sustainable for the planet is something that’s important to us.
Bio: Niha Elety is the founder of Tega Collective, a sustainable South Asian clothing brand. She is also a fashion advocate and designer.