Twenty Years of Sourcing for the World Led Dhanya Back to What Matters Most
After two decades helping global retailers source from India's finest textile traditions, Dhanya Sugathan founded Origin & Objects—a slow-fashion studio creating contemporary clothing that carries the feeling of place, craft, and quiet living.
Two Decades On The Other Side Of The Table
For more than twenty years, Dhanya Sugathan sat on the other side of the table—the side responsible for sourcing.
After beginning her career in design and product development, she spent four years with Tesco UK's sourcing operations before co-founding a sourcing company that supplied clothing and home textiles to leading international retailers. For over two decades, she worked closely with manufacturers, artisans, mills and global brands, helping translate India's manufacturing capabilities for international markets.
Throughout those years, one observation stayed with her.
The world admired India's textiles, craftsmanship and hand skills—but too often they were valued primarily for their price rather than their cultural richness, material intelligence or design potential.
"Everybody admired it," Dhanya says. "But there were many challenges. The supply chain was complex. Sometimes the design language wasn't relevant for global markets. There were questions of time, consistency and cost.
Rather than seeing craft as the problem, she saw an opportunity to rethink how it could be presented.
Building the Brand She Couldn't Find
That question eventually became Origin & Objects.
Founded five years ago in Bangalore, the studio creates contemporary clothing using Indian handwoven textiles while reimagining them for today's way of living while working with grass root artisan clusters and artisanal businesses.
Her path there was never accidental. A fashion design graduate of NIFT, Dhanya spent her first four working years in R&D and merchandising with an exporter, before Tesco UK pulled her into sourcing proper. What followed was almost twenty years running her own sourcing company alongside a business partner, supplying clothing and home textiles from India into international markets — a career spent, in effect, translating Indian manufacturing capability into language global retail could buy. "
Dhanya's goal was never simply to make handcrafted clothing.
"I wanted to take Indian fabrics, crafts and the people behind them to the world in a way that feels inspiring and relevant for today."
Rather than designing around nostalgia, Origin & Objects begins with how people live now—creating clothing that is relaxed, considered and quietly confident while allowing the character of the cloth to lead the design.
More Than Clothing
Ask Dhanya what Origin & Objects is, and she rarely begins by describing garments.
"I envision Origin & Objects to be a space where people feel comfortable and connected," she says.
"A world of inspiring handmade objects that become part of everyday life. We're starting with clothing."
The long-term ambition extends well beyond fashion. For her, clothing is simply the first expression of a larger philosophy—one centred on thoughtful objects, craftsmanship and modern living. "We're local, but we're also global. I want Origin & Objects to feel like a place where you can feel at home anywhere in the world."
A Sense of Place
Much of that feeling traces back to Dhanya's origin, a quiet tropical region of South India , Kerala; but equally to her years spent travelling, working across cultures and observing how people live.
"Origin & Objects carries influences from my childhood, my travels and how I've experienced the world," she says.
"You'll see quiet tropical influences in the silhouettes, in the colours and in the overall mood."
Rather than recreating literally, the collection aims to evoke a feeling—warmth, ease and understated confidence.
"When people wear the clothes, I want them to feel relaxed. I want them to feel quietly confident. That's not just a local feeling; I think it's something people everywhere are looking for."
Trusting Your Own Point of View
Building a brand without a clear blueprint inevitably brings uncertainty.
"There are many moments where you wonder if you're in the right market or making the right decisions," Dhanya says
Advice comes from every direction and with good intentions.
But one lesson has become increasingly clear.
"You have to trust yourself. If you constantly look outside for validation, everyone brings their own perspective and it becomes easy to lose your own. It's important to hold on to what you believe and keep building."
Learning Instead of Failing
Dhanya rarely speaks about failure.
"I don't see anything as failure. Everything is a lesson.
One recurring lesson has been patience.
"What you hope will happen and what actually happens are often very different. You simply keep learning, adapting and moving forward."
Building something original means there is rarely a roadmap.
"There isn't really a map to follow. That makes it challenging—but it also makes it interesting."
Design Needs Foundations
For aspiring fashion entrepreneurs, Dhanya believes creativity alone isn't enough.
"You need strong technical foundations."
She compares fashion to architecture.
"You wouldn't build a house without understanding structure. Clothing is no different."
Good design isn't only about appearance.
"It's about fit, construction, longevity and functionality. Aesthetics is only one part of the job."
Success Beyond the Balance Sheet
When asked what success means today, Dhanya's answer moves away from growth metrics.
"We're a small business in a very large world."
For her, success is reflected in the relationships that make the work possible. "How do we create a journey where the people we work with enjoy working together with us. Where there is trust. Where conversations are honest. Relationships that respect and honour each other.”
She believes healthy businesses are built through long-term partnerships rather than transactions.
"I'm fortunate to work with wonderful partners, and I hope we continue growing together."
No Compromises, Just A Different Kind Of Journey
On the specific question of what it costs to build a company as a woman, Dhanya pushes back on the framing entirely. "Honestly, I do not think I had to compromise anywhere being a woman. I did not think myself any different from male entrepreneurs, and my family has been very supportive," she says. "I never felt that I was on any different journey from what a male entrepreneur would be." She credits part of that experience to a close, supportive network of fellow women founders she counts as friends — a community, she suggests, that has made the road feel less solitary rather than more constrained.
The One Non-Negotiable
Asked for one principle every entrepreneur should carry, Dhanya answers without hesitation.
"The work."
"You have to commit completely. There is no 99%. You need a clear vision, and you need to bring your team along with you."
Five years into Origin & Objects, Dhanya Sugathan continues drawing on everything she learned during two decades in global sourcing.
The difference today is that she is no longer translating someone else's vision.
She is building her own—one garment at a time, proving that India's handcraft traditions don't need to become more traditional to remain relevant. They need to become more meaningful for the way people live today.
““Everybody admired our textiles and crafts. However, it was missing the market — the supply chain was too complicated, the design wasn't relevant, and the time and cost that went into it never worked out. I wanted to make a difference here.””
— Dhanya Sugardhan, Founder & Designer, Origin Objects
