was eye opening, then coming back home I tried to fuse the worlds together and have products that are good for the world, good for the earth, and good for humanity as a whole, right from seed to the finish as consumers, so that it doesn’t have all the toxins and allergens and toxic dye,” said Baravkar. All Bhumi products are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Australian Certified Organic (ACO), and Soil Association. This means its business practices and supplier relationships are sustainable and socially responsible and the products are organic and free from anything genetically modified, harmful, or toxic. Each category − bed, bath, living, dining, men’s women’s and children’s clothing − has its own space within the store, encouraging customers to see, smell, touch, and experience organic cotton. A library and Learn Lounge made from heat treated pallets and recycled wood encourages customers to hang out, using a store iPad learn more about organic products. Baravkar has designed the store following the concept of reduce, reuse, recycle, with rotating window art displays created using recycled materials sourced from the earth. “We love the idea of broken branches after a storm. We had a storm last week, so on the ceiling we’ve got branches tied together and suspended. We use what we can find in nature to create art,” she said. Window displays are rotated seasonally and will always deliver a message of sustainability. “We want to do one later in the year embedding the concept of the ocean into one of the window displays, so it’s really fun and about playing ideas off each other with Mother Earth at the centre of it.” Every detail of the Bhumi store has been meticulously curated to ensure it meets the high organic standards. The store is filled with earthy scents from 140 glass holders with crushed cloves suspended from the ceiling and a eucalyptus floor wash, which combined, act as an insect repellent. “When we first started I was mortified to think that we’ve got all of these strict certifications, but how do we keep our little friends away like the moths and furry friends who like to go towards textiles? I found that crushed cloves in the air and eucalyptus on the floor naturally keeps them away,” said Baravkar. Bhumi will more than double its existing range of products this year, adding sleepwear as well as kids underwear and blankets, followed by an extended range of men’s and women’s clothing, and organic lace bedding collection in June. This story first appeared in Inside Retail PREMIUM issue 2045. To subscribe, click here.