So, what new skill did you have the time to hone during the lockdown? If you ask 20-year-old Tharunikka M this question, she'll tell you that she did not just learn the tie and dye method but she helped others learn it too. You see, this Coimbatore-based youngster was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug very early on. So she made the most of the lockdown by launching Splashverse, her Instagram page through which she offers customised tie and dye clothes as well as kits that will help you DIY tie and dye at home. Of course, it was the latter that caught our attention.
Tharunikka, who was born in Erode, was interested in fashion so she took up BTech in Fashion Technology and learnt about dyeing in college. "I wanted to try dyeing with what people had at home, beetroot and cabbage, and my friends and I had a blast but when we washed the t-shirt, the colours were washed off with it," says the student of PSG College of Technology, sadly. But not the one to give up, she inquired about dye manufacturers in Tirupur and those who sell plain t-shirts, all with the help of her family contacts and started sourcing it for her kits, which she launched on July 15.
The kits, which start at Rs 500, contain dye, either one or three depending on the requirement, a t-shirt, rubber band, fixer (that helps the dye stay), gloves and detailed instructions as to how to go about making your own tie and dye t-shirt or even crop top. "The best thing about it is that there is no wrong way of doing this, no matter what happens, you will get an interesting pattern," says the youngster. She is receiving orders from Chennai, Bengaluru, Tiruchy and other places and to ensure that the word spreads far and wide, she is opting for Instagram ads.
Tharunikka has sold over 10 kits and recently, Girl Up, a feminist club in Coimbatore, ordered 13 for their ice breaker session. And over 30 tie and dye t-shirts, masks and crop tops that she customise herself. So the word is catching on for sure. Meanwhile, she is planning on offering hoodies, tank tops and maybe do a kids edition as well. For now, she is happy that she gets to live out her entrepreneurial dreams.
This is how you tie and dye:
- Scrunch the t-shirt
- Put a rubber band over it
- Add fixer to a bucket of hot water and soak the t-shirt for an hour
- Fill the dye bottles with water and shake well
- Squeeze the remaining mixture out of the t-shirt and apply the dye
- Place the t-shirt in a plastic bag and let it soak overnight
- Next day, remove the bands and dry the t-shirt
For more on her, check out instagram.com/splashverse_
