I was a Sari takes Mumbai women's upcycled sari fashion to Bicester, Fidenza

I was a Sari, a Mumbai-based circular fashion brand whose products are made by women artisans from discarded saris, has partnered with The Bicester Collection, the operator of luxury outlet villages in Europe, for a festive collection sold at two pop-up shops. The partnership was announced on Thursday, 29 October 2026. The first pop-up, at Bicester Village in England, runs until Sunday, 15 November. A second opens at Fidenza Village in Italy in November and runs until early January; one report gives the dates as 5 November to 5 January. All profits from both pop-ups will go to supporting women and their communities through I was a Sari and The Bicester Collection's DO GOOD Foundation.

India produces and wears saris in enormous numbers, and many end up unused in cupboards or thrown away once they are worn, torn or out of fashion. I was a Sari's model is to collect such saris and turn them into new products, a form of "upcycling" that gives old fabric a second life instead of sending it to landfill. Each sari arrives with its own colours and prints, which means that no two pieces are exactly alike.

The brand's other purpose is employment. Its products are made by women artisans in Mumbai, many of whom would otherwise have few chances of paid work. The work gives them a steady income and skills such as tailoring and embroidery, and the brand describes this social impact as central to what it does. Its founder Stefano Funari, an Italian entrepreneur who moved to Mumbai and set up the company in 2013 after a career in academia and business, said in the launch statement that "every sari that arrives in our workshop carries a life within it".

The partnership puts this small Indian brand in front of a very different audience. Bicester Village and Fidenza Village are destinations for international shoppers looking for designer brands. Placing upcycled sari products there, during the festive season, introduces the idea of circular fashion from India to customers who might never otherwise come across it, and gives the brand a showcase in two European countries at once.

For the fashion industry more broadly, it reflects a growing interest in sustainable and circular design, in which the materials of old clothes are reused rather than new fabric being made. Fashion is often criticised for waste and pollution, and brands that can show a working model for reuse are drawing more attention.

Peepals timeline: Stefano Funari founded I was a Sari in Mumbai in 2013. On 29 October 2026, the brand's partnership with The Bicester Collection was announced. The Bicester Village pop-up runs until 15 November 2026, and the Fidenza Village pop-up runs from November into early January 2027.

Short-term: Shoppers at Bicester Village and Fidenza Village can buy upcycled sari jackets, bags, jewellery and ornaments this festive season, with profits going to the women's programmes.

Long-term: International exposure can help a social enterprise win more orders and partners, which means more paid work for women artisans in Mumbai and more saris reused instead of discarded.

Who is affected: Women artisans working with I was a Sari, the brand itself, shoppers in England and Italy, and the wider circular-fashion movement in India.

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