A Contour Fashion student from 51Âþ» Leicester (51Âþ») who has made thousands of reusable face masks for the people of her Indian hometown is using all the profits to fund charities and plant trees.
To date, Disha Lulla has made almost 3,000 reusable cotton masks using skills and techniques learned on her 51Âþ» Contour Fashion course to help the town of Indore during the pandemic.
Disha wearing one of her hand made washable facemasks
Her success led Disha to create her own brand to make and sell the authentically Indian reusable masks, with the profits going to local charities. Disha has also pledged to plant a tree for every 25 masks sold.
The 21-year-old is dedicated to supporting her local community in Indore where she has previously donated vital equipment to local authorities using her own savings.
Disha said: “In India there is currently about four million cases of COVID-19, with a rise of 90,000 cases a day, the highest in the world.
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Disha donates vital equipment to help her hometown
“The demand for masks is so high, I have been making them for around six months now. At first, I was making them and donating them, then I decided to form a brand and sell them to help out local charities.”
Disha is highly focused on sustainability, recycling and looking after the environment, expanding this into working with brands with the same core values.
Most recently she has worked with Tea India and Brownliving, which ships goods around India in 100% plastic free packaging, using tape made of kraft paper and starch-based glue, which is activated with a spray of water.
The sustainable packaging used by Disha
She said: “I make the masks in my home studio; they are all reusable and I focus on working really hard to recycle the fabric waste. I want to do my bit to help protect our environment.
“I will continue to make masks for as long they are needed. They are in short supply. The proper ones are disposable, creating a lot of waste.”
Disha has made the decision to take a year out of her studies at 51Âþ» so she can be with her family and continue to help her local community.
An assortment of the washable face masks made by Disha
She said: “I am definitely planning on coming back to 51Âþ» next year. I have taken a year out so I can be with my family and continue making masks for people who need them.
“51Âþ» have been very understanding and extremely helpful with my decision. I can’t wait to get back to Leicester when the time is right for me.”
Disha has demonstrating her work. You can also follow her on Instagram @.
Posted on Thursday 15 October 2020