The Kahani Of: Pooja Devnani, Sustainable Fashion Influencer
While we’re building a community, we’re attempting to share the stories of individuals with various passions, interests, life goals, and ways of intentional living. A couple of weeks ago, we interviewed a Kahani favorite on TikTok - Pooja, or otherwise known as @lil.puj! Pooja lives and breathes art, fashion, and sustainability. Her passion for the intersection of the three was evident throughout our conversation - as well as her vast knowledge of these topics. We had the loveliest chat with her, and we hope this inspires you to pursue something you’re passionate about, that makes you happy, and hopefully, allows you to explore your creativity.
Pooja grew up between Mumbai and Los Angeles, and moved to Toronto when she was 16. Pooja’s mother is a jewelry designer, and heavily influenced Pooja’s interest in fashion and the arts - as well as exploring creativity through her hands. In school Pooja always wore whatever she wanted, using fashion as a means to express herself, yet faced some level of bullying and ostracization.
As she continued schooling and higher education, Pooja pursued graphic design in advertising, but was always passionate about sustainability. Pooja’s father works in sustainability, and she grew up constantly thinking about how our earth and environment are impacted by our actions - in both direct and indirect ways. When it comes to the intersection between art, fashion, and sustainability, there are a few ways to be more mindful in our day to day lives. Number one, to be more intentional about consumption. This can be difficult in today’s day and age with the unending cycle of consumerism, and the pressure to be “on trend”, the accessibility of fast fashion, and of course, social media pushing consumerism content like no other.
There are ways to weave in creativity into our lives as a means of being more sustainable. One of Pooja’s favorite ways - and she explained how this is a great way to develop your own style too - is repurposing whatever is in our closet. Use essential items in different ways, outside of the box. If you can, try making something with your hands. Paint florals on your favorite plain button down to spruce it up, rather than going onto a fast fashion website immediately. Just as our lives are constantly changing, so does our sense of fashion (and the trends that continue to come and go). Falling into the trap of consumption and consumerism with these changes can ultimately hurt the environment (and our wallets).
If we learn to appreciate the intersection and interconnectedness of all three - art, fashion, and sustainability, perhaps we would move towards a more intentional way of being. We discussed the wide difference between the culture of fashion and art within the US and Canada versus India. All three of us felt as if in India, the two are so deeply intertwined with each other. It is (nearly) impossible to shop for fashion in India (especially traditional clothing and homegrown Indo-Western brands) without appreciating the artisans, the form of textile, the embroidery work that’s sometimes done by hand, or the regional histories. The two cannot exist without one another.
Pooja has never ending knowledge on the intersection between the three, and explores this creatively through her TikTok - @lil.puj. We encourage you to hit that follow button, and learn a thing or two from her! Pooja originally started her platform to openly talk about her love for fashion somewhere, while she was in the hospital while ill. It’s become one of our favorite platforms now to garner inspiration, and of course, laugh and feel as though we’re talking about these topics with a friend. While we’re all on our own personal journeys with fashion, developing our personal style, and figuring out our identities in our world, Pooja left us with a few tips to think about.
Be patient - the longer you take, the longer it’s going to last. Don’t rush the process! Be intentional about your own style. It should speak to you.
Try to use your hands in the process. If you can, get creative with refurbishing your wardrobe. Re-use items you have, paint them, tailor them in any way you please.
Take good care of what you own. This is a skill within itself! Learn how to wash your clothing, maintain them, and ensure they last.
Assign your own value to your clothing. You don’t need everything that’s trending right now. Dress for YOUR LIFE! Not your favorite influencer who is traveling the world while you’re in your room most of the time. (Sorry, it’s true!)
Remember, life is always changing. We are always changing, and the world is constantly changing. It’s about how we adapt to it all, and how we live in a way that is intentional and meaningful to us.
