New Delhi, June 5 -- For Meerut-based Saumya Verma, who works in her family's education business, carrying shopping bags was her "cardio". She would buy 7-10 garments a week. But over two years ago, while cleaning out her walk-in closet stuffed with branded clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories, Verma found herself wondering, "Where does all this go?" She thought she could donate her clothes. "But 80-90% of donated stuff ends up in landfills," she says.

Last year, during Zero Waste Day, the UN announced telling numbers: 92 million tonnes of textile waste are produced globally every year. In India, roughly 8 million tonnes of textile waste is generated annually.

Though Verma, who graduated in fashion design from NIFT, Bengaluru, in ...