Designer Midushi Kochhar from Delhi, through her project YLEM, began exploring the possibility of using discarded materials, such as creating plates from eggshells or shoes from fallen leaves.
At the age of eight, Midushi's bedroom in Delhi contained many items she had collected, including shells, pebbles, dried flowers, and even snake skin gathered during excursions. She notes that her love for unusual things came naturally to her, and this curiosity later inspired her to create YLEM.
In 2017, while studying industrial design at Central Saint Martins in London, Midushi used discarded eggshells to make plates and spoons for her final project, although at the time she did not anticipate that this experiment would lead to starting her own business.
In 2020, Midushi launched a project in the Netherlands that collected waste for children's art activities. During the pandemic in India, she founded YLEM in June 2021 to transform waste into new products.
YLEM combined eggshells with a bio-binder to create a material resembling ceramics or concrete. Her shell products became custom-made decorative items, produced in batches of 20–30 units, rather than everyday tableware.
Initially, Midushi collected eggshells from breakfast cafes and grocery stores, cleaning and sterilizing them herself. By 2022, an egg processing company in Delhi began supplying powder and flakes, giving a second life to the waste.
Midushi's mother, Sakshi Kochhar, brought her experience in the fashion industry to the enterprise and suggested making footwear from fallen leaves. Together they created 'hasiru', sandals that turn discarded leaves into wearable items.
The mother and daughter collected and washed the fallen leaves, while the sandal production took place in Delhi. Since the leaves are seasonal raw material, careful production planning was required. In July 2022, Midushi reported having orders for over 400 pairs monthly at a price of 500 rupees per pair.
Midushi shares that the initial reaction of people is surprise and admiration. She hopes that her designs will prompt people to think about what they throw away. Her broader goal is to connect different industries so that the waste of one industry becomes a resource for another.