At Budha College in Karnal, Haryana, first-year fashion design students spent a full day turning discarded fabric scraps into vibrant visual art using kinusaiga, a Japanese craft that requires no stitching. Their colourful creations, featuring flowers, landscapes, and animals, showcased creativity and sustainability, gaining millions of views online.
- Students transformed leftover fabric into artistic designs using kinusaiga.
- The seven-hour project emphasized colour theory, texture, and sustainable creativity.
- Their artworks reached over 3.5 million views through social media reels.
What happened
At Budha College in Karnal, Haryana, over 100 first-year fashion design students participated in a unique seven-hour project focused on sustainability and creativity. Using a Japanese art technique called kinusaiga, the students created artwork by tucking fabric scraps into grooves cut along their thermocol sketches, without employing needles or thread. Each student began by studying colour theory and experimenting with texture and pattern combinations before sketching designs of flowers, landscapes, animals, and abstract patterns.
Under the mentorship of faculty members Harshita Singh and Komal, the students carefully selected, trimmed, and pressed fabric pieces into their thermocol templates. The activity provided practical experience with fabric reuse and intricate detailing, encouraging patience and experimentation. Their final artworks were captured in Instagram reels that rapidly reached an audience of 3.5 million viewers, bringing recognition to the students’ innovative efforts.
Why it feels good
This project offers a heartening blend of environmental consciousness, skill-building, and artistic expression. By transforming fabric waste into vibrant artworks, the students actively contributed to reducing textile scraps that might otherwise be discarded, demonstrating how creativity can intersect with sustainability. The absence of needles and thread in the kinusaiga technique highlights innovative approaches to traditional fabric art.
The hands-on experience helped students consolidate classroom concepts like colour theory and texture while fostering patience and attention to detail. It empowered them to see the potential in discarded materials and express their creativity in fresh ways. The widespread social media response further affirmed the value of their work, fostering pride and motivation among the young artists.
What to enjoy or watch next
Viewers can explore the students’ impressive fabric art on Instagram through reels shared by Budha College, which showcase a rich variety of colours and intricate designs brought to life without sewing. These visual stories celebrate sustainable art and provide inspiration for anyone interested in eco-friendly crafts or innovative textile techniques from India’s educational institutions.
Looking forward, initiatives like this highlight how skill-based education at institutions such as Budha College fosters self-reliance and creativity among fashion students. Their blend of traditional theory and practical projects prepares them to contribute new ideas to the fashion and art worlds, potentially influencing sustainable trends globally.