An actress, an avid traveller and a fashion aficionado, Chitrangada Satarupa, by her own admission, loves clothes. From collecting unique pieces and designing them, to styling pieces on herself and others — she loves just about everything about the process.
Chitrangada poses in a thrifted top and skirt Instagram
Sustainability is a loud and constant echo in the fashion world, and Chitrangada too has done her bit in the industry by being more conscious about the environment.
Her two ventures are Candy’d Closet and Candy’d Thrift — an upcycled sustainable fashion label and a thrift store.
My Kolkata caught up with the actress, designer, thrift shopper and entrepreneur to know all about how this initiative came to be, the process and more…
Find edited excerpts of the conversation below.
Could you share how the concept of Candy’d Thrift came about and when?
I was familiar with the concept of thrifting and knew that thrift stores were popular all over the world, especially in places like Europe and the US. I had no idea of the existence of thrift stores in India, that too on Instagram! In 2020, when the whole world was operating online, I stumbled upon these stores. I bought something from a thrift store and I loved it. I have never had any reservations against pre-loved or second-hand clothing, I actually think of it as a great initiative because the clothes travel with memories and stories!
That got me thinking — maybe I could also try something like an online garage sale of sorts. I already had Candy’d Closet, my upcycled clothing brand, and that’s where I did it. The sale had saris, clothing and jewellery, and it was a big success.
I had four such garage sales and realised that Candy’d Closet is a clothing label that has upcycled clothing priced at a different range while thrift clothing has a completely different price point and different clientele. That is what led to starting Candy’d Thrift, keeping the name Candy’d (pronounced candid) common.
You founded Candy’d Thrift and Candy’d Closet — both these initiatives are about sustainability. What inspired you to take up this initiative?
The simple answer is I just love clothes! (laughs) It doesn’t matter if it’s branded, non-branded, thrifted, tailor-made — I just love it. I would take the clothes that my husband (Sambit Chatterjee, drummer/percussionist, known best for being a part of Aswekeepsearching) didn’t like and I would upcycle them. I would go crazy when I went to flea markets or places like Hill Road (Mumbai) or Sarojini Nagar (Delhi). I’m very passionate about it.
I’m a preserver and I handpick things with a lot of love so I have clothes that are more than a decade old. I’m also into styling — so I wanted to start something of my own around that.
I started reading about fast fashion and the amount of waste they generate. Social media has also created the need for people to post their ‘OOTD’ and that leads to not wanting to repeat clothes, which is a very unhealthy habit and harmful in the long run.
I kept thinking ‘what could the solution be for that?’ If I started my own brand then I would, in some way, add to that waste. That led me to create clothing from already existing clothing — mainly saris because it has a lot of yardage.
I launched my brand and in my first collection, many things worked, many didn’t but it was the start of something new. I’m an actor but I love to dabble in a lot of different things, so this project was another way to channel my creativity.
Your thrift store functions out of Kolkata and Mumbai — how easy or difficult is it to source pre-loved clothing in these two cities?
Sourcing has not been an issue till now. I am surrounded by people who love clothes just like me, primarily my mother and sister (Ritabhari Chakraborty). I started with my mom’s and my own wardrobe. I had so many clothes that were in perfect condition. My friends and I used to keep swapping clothes all the time so thrifting was not an alien idea. The concept of buying the pre-loved clothes was the only difference, to be honest.
I have never gone to the market to find pre-loved clothing, it’s my passion project. I have had friends who have contributed to this too! The difficult part is to maintain the look of the Instagram feed because as a small business, we are very dependent on this medium.
Can you take us through the process from sourcing to sale when it comes to pre-loved clothes?
The sourcing part is actually the easiest part of the process because it does not involve any production. The sales part of it is actually very time consuming even though it looks easy. You have to wash and iron the clothes, wear the clothes, take photos and then edit them. Then comes the uploading process where you have to write about the clothes and give all the details like material and size.
When people want to buy these clothes, they ask multiple questions about the piece and you have to share all the information. The shipping can be tedious too because the margin of profit is slim so most thrift pages use the cheapest courier service which is the Indian Postal Service and the queues are long! (laughs)
The process is long but since most thrift pages have a ‘no exchange, no return’ policy, it makes a lot of sense. It is also important to mention all the details of the product — colour, size, any minute defects, if at all.
I also try to be as size-inclusive as possible. Initially, they were all my own clothes so it was not possible but while sourcing, I try to include all sizes or free-sizes as much as possible.
What is your favourite part of the process?
I love how people, while shopping from thrift stores, have such a unique perspective on the pieces of clothing being sold. One could be selling that piece because it doesn’t fit them anymore, but the person buying it might have been looking for a piece like that for a very long time!
The kind of messages and feedback I get from my buyers is truly exceptional and so beautiful! Having said that, I feel we have so much more potential to reach out to a bigger audience. So all in all, it’s been a wonderful ride but we still have a long way to go.
How important do you think it is for the fashion industry to be conscious of the waste it generates and to be mindful of sustainability?
It is very important for the entire industry to be conscious about the environment. There are so many clothing brands now but people love wearing new clothes. So how can we be more mindful of this — sustainability is the only way to go. Not only should manufacturers and brands be mindful of it, but buyers must as well.
What do you love the most about thrift stores? Do you have any favourite thrift stores that you shop at yourself?
I love the fact that thrift stores are a mixed bag. They are unique and the experience is unlike shopping at any clothing store. The kind of exclusive things you can find are amazing! I have got some of my best clothes from thrift stores — be it swimwear, party wear, birthday dresses, or sweaters!
My favourite thrift stores are Outdated Official, Bottom Drawer Vintage, Bygone Echoes — all of them have great stuff!
Candy’d Closet’s main goal is to create ‘upcycled clothing and other zero-waste products’, what is the process like — from collecting fabric to designing the final product?
I don’t usually have to source material — my mom’s collection of saris is phenomenal. She has given up such amazing saris for my brand, she truly has a big heart! I don’t think I would’ve been able to give away my saris like that. Some of my friend’s mothers and my aunts have also contributed to my brand in a big way. I could make six more collections from the number of saris I have.
For the designing aspect of it, I take into account the fabric I’m using and use that as inspiration — to visualise how the fabric will look best, be it a jacket, a top or anything else. My lovely tailor, Firoz, works with me and makes the pieces, post which we do a photoshoot.
What kind of clothing sells out the fastest?
Anything that is priced cheaper! (laughs) Jokes apart, I think our blouses sell out the fastest for sure!
Candy’d Thrift has more potential buyers than Candy’d Closet because my audience is young. Having said that, Candy’d Closet is a slow-fashion brand and our collections usually have a limited number of pieces, sometimes even a single piece. What’s the market for pre-loved clothes like? Who are the buyers? What are they looking for?
The market for pre-loved clothes is growing very fast now! From there being a handful of thrift stores, now they are everywhere. People buy off these pages so fast, it’s crazy! Young audiences shop the most from thrift stores because they are looking for unique pieces on a budget, for which thrift shopping is great. These thrift shoppers are also very conscious of the environment which is why they indulge in thrift stores.
I hope more people get onboard with this idea and shop from thrifted stores — it is truly an amazing experience!