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Polyester to purpose: How Weaving Vibes is rewriting fabric’s future
Started in 2019 by Shripat Jagirdar, Weaving Vibes’ USP is the magic word ‘sustainability’. It sells natural fabric that is fully biodegradable.
Pune: The adverse environmental effects of non-biodegradable polyester clothes led 35-year-old Shripat Jagirdar to search for sustainable fabrics that would not harm the environment in any way. Having done a diploma course from Sasmira, a textile research institute in Mumbai, and immersing himself in the field early on gave him a deeper perspective on the industry.
It set him thinking. “What really happens to the clothes we discard? Donated polyester garments often end up in landfills. Unlike natural fibres, polyester does not biodegrade, and even cotton blends can take 40-60 years to naturally decompose. The environmental cost of disposal, in many cases, exceeded the value of the garment itself,” Shripat said.
This was an unsettling truth. Being spiritually inclined, Shripat could not shrug it off. He felt the urge to do something about it. And, so, in 2019, he began his search for a fabric that does not come at a heavy environmental cost. He looked at sustainable fibers such as jute, linen and bamboo and realised that ‘hemp’, a plant commonly known as ‘ganja’, has simply not been given its due.
Shripat said, “I found that hemp grew freely along the expressway in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manali. It was low on input consumption. In fact, it is known as a water-wise crop, consuming very little water. Besides, it is drought tolerant as it develops a deep taproot that helps it access groundwater and stay resilient through dry spells. Moreover, its root system helps improve soil and retain moisture.”
Hemp ticked all boxes
For Shripat, hemp ticked all the boxes of sustainability. But, the challenge was, how to use it more widely? He said, “Sadly, in our country, there is a lack of spinners for hemp. If you go to manufacturers, the minimum order quantity is quite high - from 1,000 kg to 5 tons.”
But, he soon figured out a solution. He decided to import the yarn from China and get it woven at a factory in India. Shripat said, “That, too, was not an easy feat as the hemp spinners in China would not sell below a minimum yarn quantity.”
He had to spend $50,000 on his first consignment. Though the cost was high, Shripat did not mind. “In the textile industry, you cannot just go to companies and wax eloquent about the beauty of hemp. They need to touch and feel the fabric to get a proper understanding. So, if I had to get fashion brands or garmenters to adopt hemp, I had to first give them swatches so that they can touch and feel it. Moreover, India is an extremely price-sensitive market and convincing garmenters to shift from ₹200 fabrics to ₹900 sustainable alternatives was not easy,” Shripat said.
But, persistence paid off. Instead of relying on imports, he shifted his focus to backward integration — sourcing raw hemp fibre, processing it, and collaborating with Indian mills. He found a supplier in New Zealand and procured six tonnes of fibre that was converted into spinnable material through a process called ‘cottonisation’.
Shripat said, “I used my network and leveraged my relations with different mill owners, processors, and got them to spin the yarn for trials. I tied up with companies like Sambandan Mills, Sutlej Textiles and Jayshree Textiles for the trial runs.” This marked a significant step towards building a domestic hemp value chain.
From fabric to fashion
But, here too, another battle loomed up. He had to deal with perception. Shripat said, “The real battle to be won was not just in production but in perception. In the early days, people compared hemp to jute. They thought it was coarse and impractical.”
To counter this, he made some investments in design, dyeing, and finishing. “I sat down and made the designs myself at first,” said Shripat,
Processing the New Zealand-bought fiber at the mills he had tied up with, he succeeded in making impressive swatch books and showed them around to textile manufacturers.
Clients got to touch and feel the fabric. “That changed everything,” said Shripat. “When people touched the fabric, they realised that it was very unlike jute and as good as linen, as it had a soft feel and a great fall. That changed their mindset.”
But the cost of the fabric added a caveat. “A 100% hemp fabric would cost ₹800-900 per metre, making it beyond the reach of most people. I wanted everyone to wear hemp clothes. So, we decided to make hemp blends, combining hemp with kasturi cotton (100% Indian cotton), bamboo, and lyocell (derived from eucalyptus trees). The end result was that these fabrics were softer, more versatile, and suitable for modern fashion,” he said.
Setting up factory
Shripat was now ready to set up his own unit. He used his family funds to set up a factory at Bhiwandi in 2020. He said, “I rented space and spent around ₹4 crore on setting up the unit. Later, I also hired space in Sakinaka in Mumbai to create a studio for people to visit and see, touch and feel the fabric.”
Revenue growth
He named his startup ‘Weaving Vibes’ in 2021 after launching it formally. But, its financial journey has been anything but linear, with revenue plummeting as low as ₹3.5 lakh. The growth stagnated around ₹26 lakh for two consecutive years. But, 2024 brought a ray of hope as revenue rose to ₹2.5 crore. Continuing on the growth trajectory, it hit ₹7 crore in 2025-2026.
With an overall investment of nearly ₹12 crore — including ₹6 crore in fabric stock, ₹4 crore in yarn, and ₹2 crore in fibre — the venture remains largely self-funded. Said Shripat, “I ensured that the claims I made about my products were genuine. Which is why I have spent around ₹20 lakh in certification, testing, and compliance with international standards (SGS lab). The tests may have added costs, but they also lent credibility.”
Competing in an evolving market
Globally, the sustainable textile market is valued at $7-9 billion and is expected to grow to $20-25 billion by 2030. In India, the sustainable fabric and fashion market is experiencing rapid growth, reaching an estimated $272.51 million in 2024 and projected to reach $1,599.12 million by 2033. The sector is growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 21%.
Shripat has invested heavily on strategic collaborations with other sustainable fibre manufacturers, including global giants like Lenzing (known for Tencel) and Liva. He knows very well that as a start-up, Weaving Vibes cannot reach far in the global arena on its own.
He said, “In India, we have a unique advantage. We have manufacturing capability combined with cost efficiency. All we need is a global reach and my collaboration with Lenzing and Liva will help hugely.”
Beyond fashion
The fervent advocate of hemp wants to promote its other qualities as well. “Hemp’s applications extend far beyond apparel. It’s naturally antimicrobial, UV-resistant, and its durable properties make it ideal for medical textiles. Hospitals (including Ruby Hall and Jehangir in Pune), both domestic and international, are exploring hemp-based scrubs and bedding solutions. Spiritual organisations such as the Art of Living Foundation and Isha Foundation are also emerging as key customers, aligning with the ethos of sustainability,” Shripat said.
From niche to mainstream
However, the progress is marred by challenges. Pricing continues to be a concern. And awareness is still limited. Many consumers associate hemp with cannabis rather than clothing. Shripat said, “People still ask me if they will get intoxicated if they wear a hemp shirt!”
Challenges notwithstanding, his vision is clear: to move from niche to mainstream. “We’re not just building a textile company,” Shripat said. “We’re trying to change how materials are perceived. Sustainability shouldn’t feel like a compromise; it should feel aspirational.”
With plans for backward integration, global expansion, and deeper collaborations with designers, the Bhiwandi-based venture, with a studio in Mumbai, has positioned itself at the intersection of tradition, innovation, and responsibility.
If the trajectory continues, hemp may soon move from the margins to the centre of Indian textiles.
