Eleven recycled plastic bottles make one ‘Veganologie’ cross body bag. The material looks like leather – but, is in fact an alloy made of crushed plastic bottles, upcycled and repurposed.

Born in Kolkata, India and raised in Europe, 27-year-old Angana Maheswari found her calling during the pandemic when she set up her venture, Veganologie. A Dubai-based start-up, Maheshwari ships her bags all over the world from her Dubai-hub and plans to launch her line in India this monsoon.

The idea of a vegan product came to her as she started looking for a cruelty-free bag for herself.

“The idea was to create an environment-friendly product as a statement against fast fashion. Mindless consumption of goods and the amount of waste it creates, both from vast amounts of ‘disposable’ fashion winding up in landfills to the environmental problems created by the leather industry,” Maheshwari told Business Today.

At a time when established fashion and accessory brands are reinventing themselves as animal-friendly, Maheshwari says her business is based on the premise of being cruelty-free. The bags are priced between Rs 4,000 and Rs 14,000 and are sold online. Currently, her range includes handbags, wallets, and credit card cases from fully recycled, vegan materials.

“The material includes recycled fruit skins, a material I want to explore more in the future for my products,” she said.

Maheshwari defines her line of products as 100 per cent vegan, recycled, and sustainable and the base material is recyclable zinc alloy. The brand has received important Global Recycled Standards (GRS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) certifications, affirming the brand’s cruelty-free, authentically sustainable positioning.

“The brand was launched immediately to a global audience. The bags’ fabrication is fully recycled material, whether it’s vegan leather or faux suede linings. For example, Veganologie’s crossbody bags are made from 11 plastic bottles, wallets are made from 4 plastic bottles, and cardholders are made from 2 plastic bottles. Even the dust bags are sustainable, with each one made from 10 recycled plastic bottles. Moreover, the company’s entire packaging is 100 per cent recycled and is also fully recyclable,” Maheshwari said.

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