Eco- Friendly Fashion Solutions

As you know, I've been mostly talking about the problems associated with the fashion industry. But I am sure all of you must be eager to know the solutions and alternatives too. So, lets focus on the solutions of these problems today. Let's discuss what are the alternatives that we can turn to in this world of fast fashion. Let's get started!

I'll first start off by discussing the alternatives to the fast fashion. As the fashion industry is moving forward together to achieve sustainable goals, there are a few fashion champions who don’t believe in contributing to the already cluttered fashion industry. Instead, they want to focus on the importance of recreating and repurposing products that are already floating in the system. When others are busy sketching out their designs in their studio, these designers are responsibly collecting their own fabric waste, visiting export houses and factories, picking up discarded fabric samples, stray embellishments and all the production waste they can find to either create something out of it or give existing garments a second life, which is also referred to as upcycling. And these designers are not so uncommon than you might think. And if I was to name some Indian upcycling brands that one can look out for, are: 

1. Pero- From artsy knits to classic trench coats and more, label Péro has displayed a wide array of beautifully crafted designs that resonate with their ethos of upcycling. The label closely works with age-old traditions of hand-made crafts that are weaved into their designs.

2. Ka-Sha- This brand has been at the forefront of the upcycling movement. Since its inception in 2011, brand has ensured that they operate on a zero-wastage policy. Be it using old vegetable sacks and rejected plastic bags to make jackets, or creating pieces out of old Banarasi saris or even making denim jackets from discarded jeans, the designer has always made an effort to sustainably create her collections.

3. WeAreLabeless-  Started as an individual realization, it soon grew into a consciously collaborative hub of creatives connected through art, craft and design working towards sustainable development that is not limited to any one specific place and they work with craftsmen from all across India. They believe in producing when required with one of a kind materials which not only keeps in line with their zero-waste policy but also gives its wearer an edge. 

4. Doh Tak Keh- This one is my personal favorite. This brand's design process typically involves the transformation of conventionally cheap looking materials into premium streetwear. This process  generally starts with the designer taking several rounds of her local neighborhood with her hand embroiderer and collecting all sorts of discarded materials – glass beads, raffia threads and even single-use plastic which are then used for the carefully curated techniques to create the garments, such as patchwork, hand appliqué, and illustrations on cotton khaki fabric.  

These are just some of the examples, if you look out you'll find so many brands worldwide who create amazing garments by recycling variety of products. Starting from plastic to leather they are not leaving anything behind. So next time if you feel like fast fashion is your only alternative, thing again!

Moving on, apart from this, there are many other brands out there who are sustainable and conscious in the way they make their choices of fabric. Because if we have an array of synthetic fibers, we have a list ready of natural fibers too! So, let's look at some of the natural fibers and brands that we can look out for before shopping next time.

Now you have different alternatives, you have many solutions. So, it's time that we start focusing on quality rather than quantity. Let's start buying less and start wearing more. Let's put into use the 3R's- Reuse, reduce and Recycle! And last but not the least, let's look out for sustainable clothes made with natural fibers or let's just borrow or rent them. The choice is yours. For more, check out this documentary that shows how our future comes into a reality!

References

AEG, 2014. The next black. [Online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCsGLWrfE4Y
[Accessed 5 12 2020].

pappu, A., 2011. claassification of natural fibers. [Online]
Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Classification-of-natural-fibre_fig1_221915962
[Accessed 2020].

 (Gulrajani, 2020) https://textilevaluechain.in/2020/03/14/sustainable-fashionwear-clothes-that-matter/

(Khanna, 2020) https://www.grazia.co.in/fashion/these-conscious-fashion-brands-are-championing-the-art-of-upcycling-4969-2.html