A 21-year-old young innovator from Maharashtra, India, Yogita Kishore, is trying to turn discarded jeans and textile scraps into everyday products while creating income sources for women artisans. Her project, named Indiejeanous, has been running for the past year and a half and was selected among the top 20 teams in Samsung's "Solve for Tomorrow 2026" competition. She is currently working on developing product prototypes and thinking about how to take this community-driven project further.

In an interview, Yogita said being selected for the program was an important turning point for her project. "I'm grateful to be part of Solve for Tomorrow. Getting feedback from mentors and judges feels great, and it's a wonderful platform for young changemakers."

Before joining the bootcamp, Yogita's focus was mainly on giving discarded textiles a second life. But conversations with mentors, experts, and other innovators led her to examine the entire lifecycle of textile waste and think more carefully about who would ultimately use or benefit from her solution.

"My thinking has changed a lot. We used to focus only on upcycling, but now we look more deeply at how this waste can be used. We've also started making prototypes," she said. The experience taught her that a meaningful solution must not only make environmental sense but also truly respond to the needs of customers and the community. "You have to understand the customer and make sure the solution truly addresses the community's needs."

After presenting Indiejeanous before the jury and exchanging ideas with young innovators from across India, she realized the problem she was solving was not limited to her own community. The bigger change happened on a personal level. Yogita admitted that she had previously pushed the idea forward mostly alone and often doubted how much impact it could have. At the event, she found a community of young people facing similar challenges. "Talking with peers, I felt I was doing something real. I was inspired and gained confidence. I wasn't this confident before."

Now, with mentorship, constructive feedback, and possible funding support, Yogita is refining Indiejeanous's model, developing prototypes, and assessing how it can create measurable environmental and social impact. Starting from discarded jeans in one community, this slightly circular-economy-flavored idea is gradually expanding, trying to reduce textile waste, support women artisans, and show how young changemakers can turn overlooked problems into new possibilities.

Source: From Discarded Jeans to New Livelihoods: Meet Maharashtra’s 21-Year-Old Innovator Turning Denim Waste into Opportunity - Samsung Newsroom India · Originally published on 2026-09-28