CLOTHING WITH A PURPOSE
Those who This International Women’s Day, we celebrate channelise their love of fashion for the greater good of society
While the fashion industry is synonymous with glitz and glamour, it can also be used to bring about a positive change in the world. Here are such examples of women who married fashion with cause, and created ripples in the industry while doing so. Read on.
The culture of wearing secondhand/used clothes was looked down upon for several decades until recently, when a slew of thrift stores started popping up left, right and centre. One such brand in Chennai, called The Cause Wear, by Shreya Chauhan (28) began gaining prominence on the internet for its unique approach. Incepted in 2019, the label was the brainchild of Chauhan, who one day decided to donate her excess clothes to the needy. But, her perception of donating clothes changed when she met a principal of a girls’ orphanage who insisted on receiving stationery and books instead. “She took me to a room full of clothes and said that the girls don’t need them; they need geometry boxes, books and colouring pencils, and that stayed with me,” remembers Chauhan.
Owing to this incident, Chauhan decided to open an
IG account where anyone could sell and buy pre-loved clothes, and the amount generated will be used 100% to support causes — helping transgender community, old-age homes, blind schools, cancer students, etc.
Also, for the clothes received in unsellable condition, Chauhan recycles them to produce T-shirts with quirky slogans to be sold again on her platform, to benefit the needy.
In recycling and sustainable fashion, a brand that is making waves in the industry, for all the right reasons, is Doodlage by Kriti Tula (34). Started in 2012 in Delhi, the brand not only upcycles factory waste into short, limited-edition collections, but also recycles post-consumer waste and post cutting scraps into new fabrics to create garments. “Our planet’s finite resources are running out, and it is up to us to decide how we are going to move forward. A linear fashion industry is no longer sustainable and there is a need to think of how we can recycle, reuse and revive,” says Tula. Today, her clothes have not only graced the covers of magazines, but have also gained huge popularity among the fashion-conscious generation.
On the other hand, Nayshaas Siyahi Sa Vastra, founded by Gurmeen Shrivastav (37) in 2012, Chandigarh, made the rounds during the pandemic for its women-led work. Being associated with a Mumbai-based NGO, Srujna since 2018, Shrivastav decided to check on the women during Covid19. When she came to know about their suffering, she immediately offered help to support around 30 underprivileged women financially, who later made masks, earrings and scrunchies out of waste material for the brand. “There’s a lot of cloth wastage in our industry. I thought why not do something about it and help these women in return,” says Shrivastav. During the second wave of the pandemic, she connected with them again. Currently, these women are making cloth belts and handbags for the brand.
any If you have to teach them skill, underprivileged, the empowering thus fend for them to themselves. SHRIVASTAV, GURMEEN Nayshaas Siyahi Founder of Sa Vastra
Be a part of any cause you’re close to, be it women’s empowerment or helping trans community; it really makes a difference. SHREYA CHAUHAN, Founder of The Cause Wear
this Let’s pledge to Women’s Day celebrate and each other, encourage our planet to support way in the best we can. Founder of KRITI TULA, Doodlage