Satendra Singh:  Our wool denim is suitable for a wide temperature range 3°C to 33°C

Indigotex is a team of innovators, designers, and advanced manufacturers focused on creating high-quality innovative fabric qualities. Their first innovative fabric is the first of its kind—indigo-dyed wool denim “Indiwool Denim”. The company believes that denim should be for everyone, including people living in cold climates. That’s why they’ve developed a warm, comfortable version of this classic fabric that is Indiwool Denim. Above all, the company is dedicated to delivering a luxurious wool denim fabric and ensuring complete customer satisfaction. Satendra Singh, Founder of Indigotex, in an exclusive conversation with Divya Shetty, talks about the journey of creating indigo-dyed wool denim and the upcoming innovations the company is working on.

Indigotex was founded recently. What inspired you to start this venture, and how did IIT Delhi play a role in shaping its early direction?
Indigotex is a startup incubated at IIT Delhi. We are working on innovative and sustainable textiles, with a focus on protective and technical textiles for cold and extreme cold climates.
The idea began during my M.Tech at IIT Delhi in textile chemical processing, where I developed wool denim for cold climates. Conventional denim lacks thermal insulation, making it unsuitable for low temperatures. Wool, being naturally warm, was the right choice, but dyeing wool with indigo was a challenge due to fibre damage at high pH levels. Our breakthrough was successfully dyeing wool with indigo without compromising its properties. This allowed us to create a lightweight, breathable, and thermoregulating wool denim.

What is the current status of your wool denim product? Who are your target customers?
Our wool denim is suitable for a wide temperature range (3°C to 33°C) due to wool’s thermoregulatory properties, making it an all-season fabric.
We have launched it recently and are targeting boutique brands, high-end designers, and premium international labels. We have signed an NDA with Ralph Lauren and are working with Indian exporters who supply to European markets. Currently, we are exporting to Italy and also supplying to garment exporters in India.

Indigotex is also focusing on defence textiles. Can you share more about that?
Yes. Existing extreme cold-weather clothing for defence is bulky (around 3.2 kg) and restricts soldier performance, especially in temperatures as low as -50°C. We are developing lightweight, breathable, and high-performance protective textiles to replace these bulky garments.
We have secured over Rs 50 lakh under the National Technical Textiles Mission for R&D in extreme cold-weather clothing, specifically for defence applications.

You also mentioned sustainable innovations like waterless technologies. Could you elaborate?
The textile industry is a major consumer of water. A single pair of jeans requires about 3,800 litres, while a T-shirt takes 2,700 litres. We are developing waterless dyeing technologies for wool and wool blends that can save around 170 litres of water per jacket. This innovation will significantly reduce resource consumption and pollution.

Are you exploring other innovations apart from wool denim and waterless dyeing?
Yes. We are working on incorporating biodegradable fibres like bamboo and banana into denims. Our focus is on both new fabric categories and sustainable technologies that can redefine how textiles are produced.

Q. What are your plans for scaling Indigotex in the next 5 years?
Our immediate target markets are Europe and North America through Indian exporters and premium brands. We plan to set up offices abroad and expand manufacturing with in-house dyeing and finishing facilities in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.
In terms of revenue milestones, we have secured initial orders this year, plan to achieve 10x growth in the next year, and aim for significant expansion over five years through funding and strategic partnerships.

Q. What makes Indigotex different from other textile players in terms of R&D and innovation?
In India, R&D often means minor modifications. At Indigotex, we define R&D as creating breakthrough solutions that address real industry problems and reduce costs or resource use.
Our wool denim and waterless dyeing technologies are examples of this. We aim to position Indigotex as a company known for true innovation, sustainable practices, and a strong research culture, particularly in technical textiles.