The uniform serves even after duty ends

When Major General Ashim Kohli retired from the Indian Army in 2019, he had stacks of different kinds of service uniforms. While he wanted to keep a couple of them as remembrance, he wasn’t quite sure how he could dispose of the rest with the dignity they deserved. He talked to several fellow army officers, who retired before him and most, he realized, had boxes full of old uniforms with no idea what to do with them.

On Republic Day this year, Kohli set up a non-profit that collects uniforms from defence forces and upcycles them into a range of products.

“Some soldiers like to keep the uniforms intact along with the medals. Others cut it or burn it with a heavy heart to avoid any misuse. Our organization now collects old uniforms from defence personnel and produces masks, aprons, school bags, blankets, and a range of other products from them, which are donated to various army welfare organizations, and to the underprivileged sections of the society,” says Kohli, founder of Sewaj Neesim Foundation, who runs a website named ‘Vardi Ka Samman’, the core cause it espouses. In the past two months, it has collected over 5,000 old uniforms mostly from the retired and serving defence personnel.

‘Sepoi’ -- a name from the word ‘sipahi’ meaning soldier--- is another such initiative. Founded in 2019 by Mumbai-based couple Siddharth and Suchi Jaiswal, it turns old defence uniforms into products such as backpacks, tote bags, and laptop bags. Siddharth says the year 2016 marked a turning point in their lives when they read a news about how terrorists involved in the Pathankot attack disguised themselves in Army uniforms.

“That is when we realised how old Army uniforms could fall into wrong hands and be used for illegal and even terrorist activities. When I did more research on the subject, I realized that a lot of old, worn-out uniforms end up in the scrap market,” says Siddharth. “I thought if we could repurpose them, we would not only prevent their illegal use but also reduce waste and provide employment to many while maintaining their dignity.”

The Indian Army officers use about eight types of uniforms for different occasions during winter and summer, which include general duty uniforms, blue patrol, 6 Alpha/ 6 Bravo, combat uniform, dungarees, smocks. The veterans tell you how their uniforms—with their various insignia, accoutrements, badges of rank, and lanyards of their regiments—represent pride, honour and their very identity as soldiers.

The question of the disposal of uniforms in a dignified manner, they say, has bothered them for decades. The Indian army spokesperson declined to comment on whether the Army has any internal mechanism for disposal of old uniforms.

“I have 26 sets of uniforms, which were like my second skin, and I cannot express my emotional attachment to them. I cannot dispose them like other old clothes. I feel recycling them is a good solution,” said Lieutenant General R S Salaria, who retired from service in March last year.

“Thousands of defence personnel retire every year and it is up to them to decide what they want to do with the uniforms. Even I had 24 uniforms, which I had to shred and dispose most of them. I felt bad but did not have a choice,” said Captain Anoop Vij, who retired from the Indian Navy in 2019.

Kohli’s organisation outsources upcycling work to various NGOs. “We are distributing all the products made from these uniforms to army-welfare organizations, orphanages, old-age homes, among others. The idea is to give back to the army and the society,” said Kohli.

Sepoi, Siddharth says, shares up to 15% of its profits with various NGOs working for the welfare of women. He sells handcrafted products, designed by professional designers, through Sepoi’s website and other e-commerce platforms. “When we started, we thought that most of our customers would be civilians. Today, 60% of our products are being purchased by those who are in the army or have their relatives in the army,” he said.

Interestingly, the bags Sepoi makes has a card or a printed piece of paper with a story about the uniform and the soldier who wore it. “We do not collect old uniforms randomly, but ones whose wearer can tell his or her story. The idea is to educate people about the values, valour and selfless service by the veterans to our country and to enhance the civilian-military understanding,” said Jaiswal.

Sepoi’s signature collection combines cloth from old army uniforms and fresh leather to produce fashionable bags. “ I add leather to ensure that our products look premium and competitive in the market. They are high on patriotism and style,” says Jaiswal.

Sachin (who uses only his first name), a designer and production head at Swatric--a Delhi-based firm that is currently upcycling old defence uniforms for Sewaj Neesim Foundation--said the fabric used in the army uniform has a twill weave construction, which makes it very sturdy and suitable for making different products.

“But making flat fabric from old defence uniform is quite a challenge as these have several tags, buttons, pockets on the base fabric. After making the flat fabric, we send it for washing,” said Sachin. “We can make one school bag or 15 masks from a uniform. I cannot explain the joy of turning these old army uniforms into other useful products. I feel I am doing my bit in helping save the environment and the dignity of the old army uniforms, ” said Sachin.