ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT UPCYCLING FASHION

Industry experts say it’s about time that fashion lovers move towards reducing their carbon footprint and become environmentally conscious

Water pollution, textile waste and toxic chemical usage: fast fashion comes at a huge cost to the environment. Even though majority of the companies — retail giants and fashion houses — continue to produce fast fashion pieces, a few impactful ones, have switched over to guilt-free, upcycled and refashioned lines.

Front runners of the Indian fashion scene, designers and labels such as Abraham & Thakore, Amit Aggarwal, Huemn, Ruchika Sachdeva, and Pero by Aneeth Arora are known to mix creativity with an environmentally-conscious approach. Here, they talk about interesting ways that help us make or wear fashion without causing any pollution. upcycling,” explains designer David Abraham. “I believe that we exist in a world where our environment is damaged by the choices we make. Fashion, here, can play a huge role by providing longevity to a product by following responsible design ethics,” says designer Amit Aggarwal.

Be it making shoes out of seawaste or starting a specific line, companies are doing their bit to bring down their carbon footprinting. However, the problem with the basic structure of the sustainable fashion model is the pricing. Guilt-free fashion is expensive. For the average fashion lover, who shops from the mall, the flea market or the neighbourhood boutique, it would mean shelling out three times more money, because the investment and labour cost goes higher.

“When we are upcycling, the investment is higher and (skill and time of) the labour being used increases than usual. We source a lot of leftover fabric, sort it out piece-by-piece, re-think about the creative outlook of the garment and then re-stitch it entirely. One cannot make it in bulk,” says Abraham. Designers also feel that the time taken to manufacture a recycled garment is more. “The process of making an upcycled garment using vintage and tattered patola sari requires a lot of experimentation as we, at the studio, cannot compromise on the wearability and the look of the garment. The process does take longer than usual, but the results are fruitful,” says Aggarwal.

Stylists believe that repeating your outfits is a baby step towards being fashion conscious. “We have been trapped in the world of social media due to which we shy away from repeating garments. But if we talk about buying recycled garments and getting more conscious, the first step towards it is by rewearing what we already have in our closets. DIY is a great option to change your look without even shelling out a penny,” explains stylist Vikram Seth. Some celebs have been recycling (repeating) garments. One of the most talked about fashionista in the world, Kate Middleton has been seen repeating her outfits on various occasions.