Sustainable Brands

Now that I have discussed what sustainability is and how it can be achieved, it's time to look at some of the sustainable brands. But before I move forward, I'd like to add something to my previous notes on this topic. In our last session I discovered how sustainability is an umbrella term, and it doesn't only mean or require that you have to cover every aspect of sustainability (which is also not technically possible or achievable yet). If some one is doing even one percent from their side to contribute to the environment they're sustainable. For example, even if a brand is using natural fibers along with synthetic colors, they're sustainable. So, without wasting any more time, let's get started and look at some brands that are contributing in their own way!

Let's start off with one of the popular brands that many of you must be aware of: Doodlage. This label is a blend of sustainable and exclusive high street fashion. They not only make good designs, but also create value by re-inventing the ways to re-design, re-construct and recycle. Doodlage do so by collecting scraps and waste pieces of fabrics and recreating them my patching them together to create multiple new designs. They use different raw materials for each garment and that's why their each garment has its own identity. So, obviously they are a zero-waste set up! Not only this, they support their artisans and try to encourage others to be more sustainable. But they seem to be lacking in consumer awareness. For them finding a team of people and a consumer base who believes in the same vision has not been an easy task, but they're growing at every step of the way. Also, as far as my research goes, I have not found any information about the label's water usage, pollutions, chemical dyes etc. However, still while we look at the recycle and reinvent aspect of the label, we can clearly see how Doodlage is making whatever , little efforts they can. To know more about the label, do watch the video!

Moving on, another sustainable brand which is contributing in its own way to sustainability is 'My Soul Space'.  This brand introduces Organic cotton Yoga-wear, so that you don't have to wear Petroleum & Coal derived Polyester and Nylon, ever! This particular brand believes that nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction. They are very honest about who made their clothes and how and that's why this brand is also Fairtrade certified. Just like Doodlage they also respect their fellow garment workers as human beings. However, as we know procurement of cotton involves some unhealthy outcomes, and this is somewhat a drawback for this brand, however they still try their best to use methods and materials that lessen the impact on our environment. So, I feel that maybe they can begin to experiment with other natural fibers too, whose procurement might not have any impact on our environment. 

Last but not the least, I'd like to mention another sustainable brand, which is 'No Nasties'. This brand produces 100% organic and fair trade clothing that is ethnically and sustainably made from a seed directly. Every piece of clothing sold by them promises not only a better deal to the planet, but also the farmers. This particular brand is the only brand in India that's close to 100% sustainability mark and they're still constantly growing and learning at every step of the way. Their colors are generally muted and the design aren't strictly conservative. But what makes their clothes different is the consistency in their approach to offer a garment that is natural and feels good in all aspects. Though before my session, I wasn't even aware of this brand and I am sure many of you must have heard of it first time too. So, I believe they should indeed focus on increasing their consumer base and awareness through various platforms. But otherwise, No Nasties has been at the forefront of the sustainable fashion movement in India. 

At last, I would only say that these were just some examples of the sustainable brands I mentioned above. But there are many more like these which we should look out for. Before buying we can also start looking for certain sustainability certification and try to get to know the story behind our clothes in order to do our part for the environment. Or we can simply pay attention atleast to the fabric compositions. After all, there's a lot of raw happiness in using well designed organic clothing from a brand that plants a tree for each day it exists.

Videos have been sourced from Youtube.