Karenza was born Nagpur, India. In the Hindi dialect spoken in her neighbourhood, chindi (pronounced chin thee – as in the), means scraps and/or rags of fabrics. She uses the words “chindi nation”, “chindi revolution”, and “chindi design” to identify her work.
Karenza’s work is a combination of different colours and shapes which utilizes embroidery, beads and dyeing techniques. In addition, she uses reclaimed, recycled, reused remnant fabrics to create sustainable fashion items.
With her Small Arts Grants, she is working on research natural dyes. (More info: chindi-nation.net) Currently, Karenza facilitates basic hand and machine sewing skills and fabric art workshops mainly at Carnegie Community Centre and also at other locations in the Downtown Eastside.