Bunko Junko is an eco-friendly fashion initiative that turns pre-consumer textile waste into useful products. Upcycling fabric scraps, it reduces waste, lowers carbon impact, and keeps textiles out of landfills, helping create a better planet.
Meet Bhavini Parikh, the founder of Bunko Junko.
In the early 1990s, with just ₹500 and a quiet determination, she began her journey in garment surface ornamentation. There were no sustainability conversations then, no climate panels or circular fashion frameworks. There was only fabric, needlework, deadlines, and women artisans who took remnants home, worked on them carefully, and returned finished pieces.
That rhythm of work would stay with her for more than three decades.
About Bhavini
For over 34 years, Bhavini worked deep within the fashion industry, collaborating with hundreds of local and international brands. Her expertise lay in surface ornamentation, detailed handwork, and production execution. Over time, she worked with brands like Anita Dongre and many others, managing design, planning, and delivery.
In 2009, she took a major step forward and started her own white-label manufacturing unit. From design to packaging, she handled full-scale production for multiple brands. Fashion was not just her profession; it was her everyday reality.
Women were always at the center of this work. Thousands of women artisans passed through her production ecosystem over the years. Bhavini saw livelihoods change, families stabilize, and children grow into professionals. Empowering women was never a separate mission; it was simply how the work was done.
How Bunko Junko Started
In 2019, a simple online search stopped Bhavini in her tracks. She learned that the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. She had spent her entire life inside this system, without fully understanding its environmental cost. Instead of stepping away, she chose to rethink everything she knew.
That pause led to the birth of Bunko Junko.
What Bunko Junko Does Differently
Based in Mumbai, Bunko Junko is an upcycled fashion and lifestyle brand rooted in circularity.
The process is intentional. Textile scraps are collected from manufacturing units and sent to weavers, who convert them into fresh fabric. That fabric is then designed into garments, accessories, and home products. Nothing begins new, and nothing is identical.
Each piece is unique. No repeated prints. No mass-produced sameness.
Bunko Junko offers Indo-western apparel, shirts, coats, overlays, shrugs, tote bags for eco-events, laptop sleeves, cushion covers, and bed runners. The brand sells through its website, participates in corporate exhibitions, and operates an offline store in Andheri, Mumbai.
Bunko Junko Customers
Bunko Junko’s customers are largely eco-conscious individuals between the ages of 25 and 45, though many older customers connect deeply with the brand as well.
Bhavini follows a strict no-return policy rooted in sustainability. Returns create additional carbon emissions, and she believes responsibility does not end at the sale. Instead, the team directly connects with customers, explains the philosophy, and resolves concerns through conversation. The result is trust, not transactions.
Achievements of Bunko Junko
As Bunko Junko grew, recognition followed.
The brand received awards from the IKEA Foundation, Adelphi as a climate catalyzer runner-up, won a $10,000 award from Visa, The Her Circle Bizruptor Of The Year Award For Innovation in 2024 from The Reliance Foundation, among many more. Bhavini was invited to speak at TEDx by Microsoft and featured on BBC Media’s climate podcast. Bunko Junko is a member of the UNFLN, or the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network.
One achievement stands especially close to her heart: winning second prize for a research paper presentation at IIT Bombay. Without an academic background or PhD, Bhavini turned decades of lived experience into research, proving that learning does not only come from classrooms.
Bhavini’s first true big moment came when she was selected for incubation and training at IIT Bombay. As a child, she had dreamed of studying there. Years later, standing inside the institution as a founder and researcher felt like life completing a circle.
Another constant source of affirmation came from the women she worked with. Every time she connected with them, every time she saw shared growth, it reaffirmed why Bunko Junko existed.
Challenges
Like every long journey, this one was tested. A serious health challenge once made Bhavini question whether she could continue. She chose not to define herself by it. She accepted it as part of life and moved forward. Today, she believes she is running Bunko Junko stronger and more clearly than ever before.
What Drove Growth of Bunko Junko
Growth did not come from loud campaigns. It came from B2B networking, exhibitions, referrals, and relationships. Corporate collaborations and partnerships became a key driver of scale, reinforcing Bhavini’s belief that no founder grows alone.
Bhavini runs her life and business through planning. Calendars, time blocks, and deadlines guide her days. She sleeps early when possible, but if work calls, she is ready to start again at 3 a.m.
Consistency, not chaos, is her system.
What’s Next for Bunko Junko
Bunko Junko is now expanding beyond upcycling into full recycling solutions. The vision is to build a one-stop circular textile platform, covering collections, recycling, end products, and women-led livelihoods.
Right now, the focus is on expansion, marketing, partnerships, and collaborations for physical stores across India.
Bhavini says,
“Do not wait for the perfect moment. Start when you can. Ask for help when you need it. A yes or no does not matter, but not asking guarantees nothing.”
When things feel heavy, she reminds herself of one line:
“Never give up. Accept it. And move ahead.”
Buy from Bunko Junko:
Connect with Bhavini Parikh:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhaviniparikhbunkojunko/
Connect with Bunko Junko team:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bunkojunko1/
If you’d like your journey to be featured in our Meet The Mahilas series, write to us at hello@mahila.money.
We’d love to hear your story and share it with women across India.
