14 September,2010 07:12 AM IST | | Namita Gupta
Fitness instructor Wanitha Ashok has an alternate career. She can transform your old saris, tees and even your fancy lingerie into practical bags
She makes jhola bags out of just about anything. She's one woman who loves to transform old dupattas, saris, well worn tees and now is all set to make bags from leftovers of Victoria's Secret's lingerie into a funky bag.
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Meet Wanitha Ashok, a full time fitness consultant who dabbles in bags as a hobby, not for creating a chic code, but for a noble cause of banning plastic.
How do you get around to introducing an element of design and quirkiness into your bags?
I'm a recycled craft artist and have been working with waste for eight years now. I can convert anything people call waste into a creative utility craft.u00a0I have worked with oddments like electric wire, floppies, CDs, bottles, pebbles etc and this was nothing but child's play for me. As more the waste around the more creative I get. I began by making plain bags and now take orders for fancy carry bags too. In fact I have given away loads of Rs 20 bags to my vegetable vendor to give it free for those who dig plastic.
Your bags are priced at Rs 20 onwards. How do you manage to keep the pricing so low?
The dupatta bags range from Rs 20 to Rs 150, depending on many things like designing and quality of the material, so the Rs 20 bag is quite plain and does not involve much, hence is intentionally priced low to encourage people to pick it up for daily shopping.
Your favourite picks?
I have added some oddments like leather, tikklies, flowers to make it interesting keeping the ability of the women in mind who might be still stuck with one style.
You also make bags out of old tees?
T-shirt bags are for those who don't want to dispose off their favourite tees or have outgrown them. Once you transform them on a bag, they will be with you for longer. Even when I'm window shopping and I find something catchy I just pick it up straight away as I know it would make a great bag.
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Is your next project something to do with bags made from Victoria's Secrets lingerie left overs?
Yes, hot isn't it? Reading one of my bag stories, I was approached by Victoria's Secret lingerie company who wanted to donate the oddments generated in their factories towards a good cause. But first a visit to National Council of Women in India (NCWI) will be made as a formality, post which I will begin working on it. NCWI is where my bags are made. Each lady at the NCWI unit can make about four bags a day as it takes about two hours.
Where do you retail from since you don't have a store?
So far it's been through word of mouth. Sunshine Boutique in Indiranagar and Bodycraft salon and spa in Indiranagar and Jayanagar have come forward to sell them, as the money made through the sale of bags goes to the economically challenged women. I'm also open to selling them through any offices or apartments or any such places to help further mobilise the whole drive. We can even do customised bags; the only hitch being the cost would vary accordingly.
Email: wanithaashok@hotmail.com or wanithaashok@gmail.com to place your orders
