Angana Maheshwari went looking for a simple work bag during the pandemic and ended up starting a sustainable fashion company called Veganologie in Dubai.
Maheshwari just wanted a bag that could hold her laptop, power bank, and wallet. She wanted it to be stylish, well-made, ethically produced, and not too pricey. She could not find anything like that, so she decided to make it herself.
That search turned into Veganologie, a sustainable accessories brand she launched in the UAE in January 2022. Fashion matters to her, she says, because people want to look good. Her real question was how to make a bag that was good quality, fashionable, and mindful of how it was made.
Maheshwari grew up moving between London, Germany, and Luxembourg, and later lived in New York and Toronto before settling in Dubai. She studied at New York University and the London School of Economics. She had no background in making handbags, so she had to learn about materials, factories, and supply chains from the ground up.
The real problem is overconsumption, not shopping
Maheshwari says she has no issue with people buying things. Her concern is fast fashion, where brands release new styles constantly, and people buy and toss items quickly. Her answer was to make products built to last, without charging a huge amount more.
She knows sustainable fashion often costs more than fast fashion, and that this can be unfair to shoppers on a budget. Her point is that the price covers more than the item itself. It also covers a cleaner supply chain, audited factories, certified fabrics,s and workers who get paid overtime.
She believes a brand owner has to follow through on ethical promises down the whole chain, or nobody will trust the brand. As an example, one of her newer products, a tote made from bamboo fibre with a zipper and pockets, sells for around 600 dirhams.
Sustainable does not have to mean unpleasant
Maheshwari agrees that sustainable alternatives are not always pleasant to use. Her team has experimented with materials like bamboo fibre and plant-based leather alternatives. She wants sustainable fashion to feel good to use, not just good for the planet.
There are limits to what her team has managed so far. They have wanted to make a fully beaded bag but have not found beads free of plastic yet. She sees these as the real trade-offs of building a sustainable business, rather than just using the word as marketing.
Bringing the UAE into the brand
Maheshwari says Dubai is the place that gave her the chance to build her company. She has worked UAE wildlife into her designs, including charms shaped like the Arabian leopard, hawksbill turtle, falcon and oryx. Each charm doubles as something useful, like a mirror, a pouch,ch or a cable organiser, and proceeds from these pieces go toward groups that protect the animals.
Her team also made an AI film showing these animals moving from the wild into cities, as a way to get customers thinking about protecting them. Smaller touches, like a tassel in UAE flag colours and an accessory based on the one-dirham coin, are her way of including the country’s story in the brand.
What this means for you
You do not need a business degree or a design background to start something. Maheshwari started with a personal problem, no industry experience, and built outward from there.
- You can judge a product by more than its price tag. Ask what went into making it.
- Durability can save you money over time, even if the upfront cost is higher.
- Small choices, like buying less but buying better, add up when enough people do them.
Running a company has hard days too. Maheshwari says she leans on her husband, her parents, her brother, and her dog, Enzo, when things get tough. About 80 percent of her team is female, and she says sharing a common purpose helps the team push through difficult stretches.
Maheshwari hopes to eventually grow the business beyond the UAE and the wider Gulf region, since she sees overconsumption as a global issue, not a local one. She stops short of saying she is trying to save the planet. Instead, she says she is trying to do her part, and that the world would be better if more people did the same.
This site exists to help busy, curious people get the full story without needing to look anything up. If a founder’s story like this one makes you think about your own shopping habits, the next step is simple: next time you need something, ask if you are buying it to use for years, or just for now.
Source: Gulf News
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