THE VOICE OF FASHION
INTERVIEW:
What was the idea behind Purearth?
Purearth was born from a desire to impact positive social change by partnering with marginalised women and producer groups. We offer means of fair trade and dignified income through livelihood programmes. I founded Purearth as a social venture and I put people and our planet over profit. The healing wisdom of Ayurveda is pretty much lost today. It is my intention to revive and bring ancient recipes and modalities and especially indigenous knowledge into the mainstream skincare and wellness space, both India and globally.
Purearth was born from a desire to impact positive social change by partnering with marginalised women and producer groups. We offer means of fair trade and dignified income through livelihood programmes. I founded Purearth as a social venture and I put people and our planet over profit. The healing wisdom of Ayurveda is pretty much lost today. It is my intention to revive and bring ancient recipes and modalities and especially indigenous knowledge into the mainstream skincare and wellness space, both India and globally.
What is special about your skincare range?
Purearth’s offering is special because of the botanicals that are wild-harvested from the high altitude Himalayan terrains or certified organic, sourced from small farmers with no middlemen involved. Our turmeric for instance, is not only planted and harvested adopting the biodynamic method but it is nurtured and watered to the chanting of Vedic hymns and in cadence with the rhythms of nature, just as it was for millennia before the advent of modern technology.
Purearth’s offering is special because of the botanicals that are wild-harvested from the high altitude Himalayan terrains or certified organic, sourced from small farmers with no middlemen involved. Our turmeric for instance, is not only planted and harvested adopting the biodynamic method but it is nurtured and watered to the chanting of Vedic hymns and in cadence with the rhythms of nature, just as it was for millennia before the advent of modern technology.
How do you feel about Purearth’s success in the international arena with stores such as Anthropologie?
It is humbling to see that our brand is on the radar of the biggest and most iconic stores and platforms globally. We have no marketing or sales team. Brands such as Anthropologie directly approached us to collaborate with them. We were approached by a five-star global airline and selected as a finalist in the tender for their first class amenity kits and have been featured in Wallpaper magazine. It is not possible to describe in words the pride and joy I feel in my heart when we see this kind of global interest in a small batch brand coming out of India.
Can you talk about your eco pot project?
Purearth is a not-for-profit social enterprise and I established a sister company the Pure Purpose Foundation, which is the charity arm of Purearth. For personal reasons, building toilets to provide privacy, dignity, safety, security, and clean sanitation for women and girls is number one on my agenda.
A fully compostable, dry twin-pit seal technology was implemented years ago in Uttarakhand and I started the Eco-Pot Project, a kick-starter crowd funding campaign offering Purearth products at a 50 per cent discount to fund the toilets. We didn’t need to sell a single product in the end because we received donations of ₹ 8 lakhs in March 2018 to fund the project. We have already completed and built 30 toilets in and around the Ganga river basin and Dhamoli village in Uttarakhand.
A fully compostable, dry twin-pit seal technology was implemented years ago in Uttarakhand and I started the Eco-Pot Project, a kick-starter crowd funding campaign offering Purearth products at a 50 per cent discount to fund the toilets. We didn’t need to sell a single product in the end because we received donations of ₹ 8 lakhs in March 2018 to fund the project. We have already completed and built 30 toilets in and around the Ganga river basin and Dhamoli village in Uttarakhand.
What’s next for Purearth?
The brand has grown since its launch in 2014. I want it to become a global brand that is respected for its result-driven purity and quality of products. Our range now includes cleansing balms, toners. I am excited to foray into “colour skincare”, which is colour cosmetics that perform and act like skincare using natural high-quality minerals and botanicals.
A wellness tip?
Drink lots of clean water and sleep well.