Delhi Duo Turns Eggshells and Leaves Into Wearable Art

Most of us toss eggshells in the trash without a second thought, but Midushi Kochhar saw dinnerware waiting to happen.

The Delhi designer grew up collecting pebbles, dried flowers, and even snake skins on family hikes. At eight years old, her bedroom looked more like a natural history museum than a typical kid's room.

That childhood curiosity turned into something bigger in 2017. While studying industrial design in London, Midushi used discarded eggshells to create plates and spoons for her graduation project.

The experiment stuck with her. After working on a waste collection project for schoolchildren in the Netherlands, Midushi returned to India during the pandemic and launched YLEM in June 2021.

She started by collecting eggshells from breakfast cafes and food stalls around Delhi, cleaning and sanitizing them herself. YLEM combines the shells with a biobinder to create a material that looks like ceramic or concrete.

The eggware isn't meant for everyday meals. Instead, YLEM creates bespoke decorative pieces made to order, producing around 20 to 30 items per batch.

By 2022, a Delhi egg processing company started supplying powder and flakes directly, giving their waste a second life. No more manual collecting from cafes.

Then Midushi's mother, Sakshi Kochhar, brought her fashion expertise to the table. She suggested making footwear from fallen leaves, and together they created "hasiroo" slippers.

The mother-daughter team collected and washed fallen leaves while local Delhi units handled production. Since leaves are seasonal, they had to plan production carefully around availability.

By July 2022, they were filling orders for over 400 pairs monthly at Rs 500 each. Not bad for something most people sweep into the garbage.

The Ripple Effect

Midushi says the first reaction is always surprise and wonder. People can't quite believe they're looking at eggshells or leaves transformed into something beautiful and functional.

But the real impact goes beyond cool products. YLEM is changing how people think about waste itself.

Midushi's bigger dream is connecting industries so one sector's discarded materials become raw materials for another. Imagine manufacturing where nothing truly goes to waste.

Every eggshell plate and leaf slipper asks a simple question: what else are we throwing away that deserves a second chance?