How a Delhi Mother-Daughter Duo Made Slippers From Fallen Leaves & Plates From Eggshells

YLEM is a venture launched by Delhi designer Midushi Kochhar in June 2021. It reimagines materials that people usually throw away and turns them into new products. The idea matters because it gives waste another purpose and encourages people to reconsider what they discard.

Its products include decorative eggware made from eggshells and ‘hasiroo’ slippers made from fallen leaves. The eggshell pieces resemble ceramic or concrete, while the slippers transform a seasonal natural material into something wearable. YLEM makes eggware to order, with about 20 to 30 orders in each batch, rather than for everyday meals.

Midushi first explored eggshells during her 2017 graduation project at Central Saint Martins. Her mother, Sakshi Kochhar, later suggested using fallen leaves for footwear. YLEM’s larger ambition is to connect industries so that one industry’s waste can become another industry’s resource.

YLEM uses two especially unexpected discarded materials: eggshells and fallen leaves. Eggshells are used for eggware, such as decorative plates and spoons, while fallen leaves are used for ‘hasiroo’ slippers. The approach matters because ordinary waste is treated as a possible design material instead of something with no further use.

Eggshells are combined with a biobinder to form a new material that resembles ceramic or concrete. Fallen leaves are collected, washed, and then used by units in Delhi to make footwear. The eggshell material supports bespoke decorative pieces, while the leaf material becomes a wearable product.

The supply of leaves is seasonal, so YLEM must plan production around when they are available. Eggshell supply became more organised when a Delhi egg-processing company began providing powder and flakes in 2022. These examples support Midushi’s goal of linking waste from one industry with another industry’s needs.

The leaf-slipper business reached orders for over 400 pairs a month by July 2022. Each pair was priced at Rs 500. Those figures show that YLEM’s unusual use of fallen leaves had moved beyond a small experiment and attracted substantial customer interest.

The slippers, called ‘hasiroo’, were developed by Midushi Kochhar and her mother, Sakshi Kochhar. They collected and washed fallen leaves, while units in Delhi made the footwear. The process turned a material people usually discard into a product people could wear.

The business still depended on careful planning because fallen leaves were available only during certain seasons. This meant production could not be treated as a constant, year-round supply. Even so, the reported monthly orders showed strong demand, while YLEM continued exploring ways to give discarded materials a useful second life.

YLEM transforms eggshell waste by combining it with a biobinder. This creates a new material that resembles ceramic or concrete. The process matters because it changes a discarded food-related material into something that can be shaped into designed objects.

Midushi Kochhar first used discarded eggshells to make plates and spoons for her 2017 graduation project. Later, YLEM developed the idea into bespoke decorative eggware. At first, Midushi collected shells from breakfast cafes and food stalls, then cleaned and sanitised them herself.

By 2022, a Delhi egg-processing company supplied eggshell powder and flakes, giving its waste another purpose. YLEM’s eggware was made to order, with around 20 to 30 orders in each batch. It was designed as decorative work rather than plates intended for daily meals.

YLEM’s leaf-slipper production depends on the seasons because fallen leaves are not available in the same way all year. This affects how the venture schedules its work. Production needs planning so materials can be collected and used when supplies are available.

Midushi Kochhar and Sakshi Kochhar collected and washed the fallen leaves. Units in Delhi then made them into ‘hasiroo’ slippers. The leaves’ seasonal availability created a practical limit: the venture could not simply rely on an unchanged supply whenever new orders arrived.

The challenge existed alongside strong reported demand. In July 2022, YLEM reported orders for over 400 pairs a month at Rs 500 each. That level of interest made planning even more important. It also showed that products using seasonal waste could attract customers while requiring production to follow natural availability.

Midushi Kochhar was the venture’s founder and creative force. Her curiosity about unusual materials began in childhood, and she developed eggshell products during her industrial design studies. She launched YLEM in June 2021 after earlier work collecting waste materials for children’s art activities in the Netherlands.

Sakshi Kochhar, Midushi’s mother, brought fashion experience to the venture. She suggested making footwear from fallen leaves, helping lead to ‘hasiroo’ slippers. The two women collected and washed the leaves themselves, while units in Delhi handled slipper production.

Their roles were complementary rather than strictly separate. Midushi developed the waste-based design direction, and Sakshi added fashion knowledge and a footwear idea. Together, they built products from discarded materials and responded to supply challenges, including the seasonal availability of leaves.

A circular economy is an approach that keeps discarded materials useful by giving them new purposes instead of treating them as useless waste. YLEM demonstrates this idea through design. Its work matters because it connects materials people throw away with products people can use or value.

Eggshells from cafes, food stalls, and an egg-processing company become a material resembling ceramic or concrete when mixed with a biobinder. Fallen leaves are collected and washed, then made into ‘hasiroo’ slippers by units in Delhi. In each case, waste from one activity becomes an input for a new product.

YLEM’s larger dream is to connect industries so one industry’s waste can become another’s resource. The venture already moved from Midushi’s eggshell graduation project to made-to-order eggware and leaf footwear. Its seasonal leaf supply and organised eggshell sourcing show both the promise and practical planning such reuse requires.