India's National Circular Fashion & Upcycling Movement

THREADS OF CHANGE®

Transforming Textile Waste into Opportunity, Innovation, and Hope.

Steps
ABOUT MERAKI

Every Thread Has a Second Chance. Every Creation Has the Power to Change the World.

Threads of Change is a flagship initiative of Cahoots International Foundation that is redefining the future of fashion through upcycling, circular design, creativity, and community participation.
We believe that discarded textiles are not waste—they are valuable resources waiting to be transformed into products with renewed purpose and meaning.
By bringing together designers, students, artisans, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, industries, and communities, Threads of Change is building a nationwide movement where innovation meets sustainability, creativity reduces waste, and fashion becomes a force for environmental and social change.

Stage 01

CIRCULAR FASHION & UPCYCLING INNOVATION

Reducing environmental impact through responsible production.Promoting environmentally responsible textiles that reduce ecological impact while preserving cultural craftsmanship.

Stage 02

CARBON CREDITS & ELITE LUXURY

Celebrating India's timeless textile traditions while integrating them into modern luxury fashion, proving that heritage and innovation complement one another.

Stage 03

YOUTH JOING AND STORYTELLING

Collaborating with schools, colleges, universities, and fashion institutes to cultivate sustainability awareness and circular design skills among young people.

OUR STORY

Fashion Should Never End in a Landfill.

Millions of tonnes of textile waste are generated every year, while countless garments are discarded long before the end of their useful lives.

At the same time, traditional craftsmanship, creative talent, and sustainable innovation remain underutilized.

Threads of Change was created to bridge this gap.

Our mission is to inspire individuals and institutions to rethink fashion by embracing circularity, extending the life of textiles, and transforming waste into opportunity through creativity, education, and innovation.

Every garment saved from landfill represents a step towards a cleaner planet and a more responsible fashion industry.


OUR VISION

To build India’s largest circular fashion movement where every community, institution, designer, entrepreneur, and citizen contributes to reducing textile waste through creativity, innovation, and responsible consumption.


OUR MISSION

  • Promoting upcycling as a mainstream design philosophy.
  • Reducing textile waste through circular fashion practices.
  • Encouraging repair, reuse, redesign, and recycling.
  • Empowering designers, artisans, and creative entrepreneurs.
  • Inspiring students and youth to become sustainability leaders.
  • Creating national awareness about responsible fashion.
  • Supporting innovative solutions that reduce environmental impact.
  • Building communities that embrace conscious consumption.
  • Encouraging sustainable livelihoods through circular business models.
  • Driving collective action for climate resilience.

THE THREADS OF CHANGE FRAMEWORK

Upcycling Innovation

Transforming discarded textiles into high-value fashion, accessories, home décor, art, and functional products through creativity and design.

Circular Fashion

Promoting a fashion system where garments are reused, repaired, shared, redesigned, and continuously circulated to minimize waste.

Textile Waste Reduction

Supporting initiatives that divert textiles from landfills through collection, sorting, recovery, and innovative reuse.

Creative Design

Encouraging designers, artists, and makers to reimagine waste as a valuable resource, inspiring fresh approaches to sustainable fashion.

Education & Youth Engagement

Collaborating with schools, colleges, universities, and fashion institutes to cultivate sustainability awareness and circular design skills among young people.


Artisan & Community Empowerment

Creating opportunities for artisans, women’s self-help groups, rural communities, and local entrepreneurs to generate sustainable livelihoods through upcycling and circular production.

National Upcycling Championship

The signature programme of Threads of Change, bringing together students, professionals, designers, and innovators from across India to compete, collaborate, and showcase pioneering upcycling solutions.

The championship celebrates creativity while inspiring practical climate action.

Research & Innovation

Promoting experimentation with new materials, circular production techniques, sustainable technologies, and scalable business models that support the future of responsible fashion.

Public Awareness

Engaging communities through campaigns, workshops, exhibitions, seminars, and creative storytelling that encourage conscious consumption and environmental responsibility.


WHY THREADS OF CHANGE MATTERS

Every year, millions of garments are discarded despite still having value.

Every textile recovered
reduces waste.
Every upcycled product
conserves resources.
Every creative idea
inspires change.
Every participant
strengthens the circular economy.

Threads of Change transforms individual actions into collective impact.


OUR FIVE PILLARS

Circular Fashion

Designing systems where products remain in use for as long as possible.

Upcycling Innovation

Creating higher-value products from discarded materials through imagination and craftsmanship.

Community Participation

Empowering citizens to become active contributors to sustainable living.

Climate Action

Reducing pollution, conserving resources, and lowering carbon emissions through responsible fashion practices.

Creative Leadership

Encouraging designers, innovators, students, and entrepreneurs to become pioneers of sustainable fashion.


NATIONAL UPCYCLING CHAMPIONSHIP

India’s largest platform dedicated to upcycling innovation.

The championship provides participants with opportunities to:

Showcase Innovative Designs Collaborate with Industry Experts Gain National Recognition Build Sustainable Businesses Promote Circular Fashion Inspire Communities Drive Climate Action Through Creativity

IMPACT 2030

By 2030, Threads of Change aims to achieve the following aspirational milestones.

Initiative 2030 Goal
Citizens Engaged 10 Million+
Students Inspired 1 Million+
Educational Institutions Partnered 5,000+
Designers & Innovators Supported 25,000+
National Upcycling Championships Conducted 100+
Textile Waste Diverted 5 Million kg
Community Workshops 2,000+
Upcycled Products Created 500,000+
Sustainable Entrepreneurs Supported 10,000+
People Reached Through Awareness Campaigns 100 Million+

*These are aspirational targets that can be refined as the strategic plan evolves.


WHO CAN JOIN?

Students Fashion Designers Textile Designers Artisans Artists Educational Institutions Universities NGOs CSR Partners Government Departments Sustainable Startups Fashion Brands Manufacturers Recycling Organisations Community Groups Environmental Advocates Citizens Passionate About Sustainability

GLOBAL ALIGNMENT

Threads of Change contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by advancing:

  • Quality Education
  • Gender Equality
  • Decent Work & Economic Growth
  • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
  • Sustainable Cities & Communities
  • Responsible Consumption & Production
  • Climate Action
  • Partnerships for the Goals

JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Every discarded fabric tells a story.

Every creative mind can rewrite it. Together, we can transform textile waste into opportunity, empower communities through innovation, and build a future where fashion becomes part of the solution—not the problem.

Threads of Change is not just about changing clothes.

It is about changing mindsets, changing communities, and changing the future— one thread at a time.