Bolly Boutique - nonprofit to reduce textile waste

Two years ago we were packing to attend a relative’s Indian wedding and I was shocked by how much money we were spending to dress a family of 5!
My sisters and I would definitely outgrow these expensive outfits before the next wedding AND even if they did fit, now with Social Media…once its on the “Gram” (Instagram), it’s not so glam (anymore)! This all makes our clothes have such a short life cycle so I got to thinking…“What if we could find a way to extend the life of these clothes and keep them out of the landfills?

This was the inspiration for my nonprofit organization - Bolly Boutique.
Our mission is ECO...
EXTEND the life of South Asian clothes.
COMMUNICATE the environmental impact of “Fast Fashion”.
ORGANIZE Zero Waste initiatives.
We are in a major trash crisis...with the highest CO2 levels in history, rivers full of toxic dyes¸and mountains of landfills. I was shocked to learn it takes 640 gallons of water to grown enough cotton to make one t-shirt. That is literally enough water for someone to drink for 3.5 years! Whether we like it or not, the Fashion industry is the #2 largest polluter in the world (after Oil).
One garbage truck full of clothes is burned and dumped in the landfills EVERY SECOND. We recently partnered with local businesses like Knotzland Bowties and Make+Matter, that upcycle clothes into new products. Bolly Boutique’s aim is to be the world’s largest non-profit re-seller of South Asian clothes, upcycling the non-sellable clothes and using the proceeds from sales to help educate people on the sustainability and net Zero movement.

Fondos becados por Pittsburgh, PA (May 2020)