Up for sustainable fashion?
The World Environment Day passed by. To understand how fashion can be environmentfriendly, we talk to designers who are practising sustainable fashion. They tell us why people need to become conscious about what they wear
Have you ever asked yourself this question – ‘Where are the clothes that I am wearing coming from?’ If you haven’t, then we guess it’s high time you know where your clothes come from and where they are headed to. Sustainable fashion or eco-friendly fashion has been a trending topic on various social media sites, and at fashion events and campaigns in the recent past, but how much of a difference has it made among young Indian shoppers? Here, we take a look at why we should inculcate a sustainable way of living in our day-to-day lives with increased consciousness.
ARE WE AWARE ENOUGH?
Sustainable fashion is a broad term that brings together fashion that is made with compassion and concern — both for the people and the environment. Thanks to various platforms across the globe, celebrating and including sustainable fashion into their programmes, the curiosity to understand it is growing. But is it enough? Are we ready to embrace it fully? “Sustainable fashion does not just mean buying a lot of handloom or organic clothing. Sustainability is a principle. Just as we honour food by ordering only what we need and consuming it, one must do the same with clothes. We either compromise on the way the product is made or its effect on the environment, to be able to make an inexpensive product. Sustainable fashion educates a customer on why a product comes at a certain price and why it is important to focus on the quality and not on quantity,” says fashion designer Sreejith Jeevan.
Taking matters into their hands, the Indian fashion industry and its patrons have been consciously creating platforms to encourage designers who have taken the sustainable route. Be it Indian fashion weeks or celebrities posing in sustainable clothing, the buzz has been established.
“Conscientious designers have already started a movement for slow fashion by using ethical methods and practices in terms of procurement, manufacturing and CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities to do their bit to help the planet be a better place,” says fashion designer Shruti Sancheti.
But are we headed to becoming a 100% sustainablefashion country? “Considering India as a whole, it’s difficult to be 100% sustainable. We are a developing country and sustainable lifestyle is a slow process,” says fashion designer duo, Sweta Tantia and Priyangsu Maji. However, in their own way, they ensure to give back to the environment by creating zero waste.
“We strictly practice a zero wastage policy with each fabric used. We have also tried using fabric leftovers as trimmings and finishing for each ensemble that we create,” adds the designer.
THE GAME CHANGERS
With the fashion industry deeply invested in going sustainable, it also becomes their responsibility to encourage young aspiring designers about the same. Fashion designer and professor, Vaibbhavi P shares that for start-ups who are working with the concept of sustainable fashion, it is important they:
Collaborate with sustainable artists or craft persons
Get sn authenticity certification
Get a supply chain in place
Have price points to suit the target customer profile
Tell your story interesting images
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
A lot of people tend to debate about the cost price between fast fashion and slow fashion and usually ask, ‘Why should I spend ₹3000 on a tunic from a sustainable label, when I can get the same at ₹500 at a mall?’ According to Vaibbhavi, the biggest myth about sustainable fashion is that it is considered expensive, dull, and anti fit. “People buy fast fashion because of the perceived cheaper price point. But eventually, someone somewhere is paying the price either by being paid low wages or increased carbon footprint and adding to the landfill, as synthetic [clothing] is not bio degradable,” adds Vaibbhavi. For fashion designer duo Monisha Bhandari and Gatik Bhandari, sustainable fashion focuses more on quality in all aspects such as fabric, stitching and the method of productio n. And when attention is paid to such details, the durability of the product increases. “Sustainable fashion in India is synonymous to being handcrafted. Durability increases, because it’s not mill dyed or mass produced. We prefer using garments that are not synthetic,” adds Bhandari.
VALUE FOR MONEY
But having said that isn’t it also important that sustainable fashion must be acceptable and affordable? Fashion designer Rina Singh says, “For me, value for money is not the simple function of the amount you pay to own the product. Value for money is where the price of the garment commensurate with the longevity of the cloth. The definition of right merchandise is inextricably linked with the stakes involved. From fair wage to providing a better working environment, the sustainable merchandise parameters are infinite.”
Singh adds, “Hence, in order to bring that one piece to the shelf (which has been ethically sourced, where the crop has been under careful supervision for a prescribed dose of pesticide, the mill adheres to all compliant rules, proper use of water, careful use and dispose of chemicals, standard and defined working hours for the labourers, etc); the garment comes to the final consumer at a higher price. But if you would like to contribute to this movement, the price is always worth it.”