Sustainable fashion has been quietly doing the rounds all over the world as designers and fashion houses awaken to the fact that a lot of the clothes that they retail and which sell at huge rates, may not have been produced in the best of habitats. For instance, child labour is a recurring concern especially in Third World countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam to name a few. Add to that the heavy use of pesticides and other harmful toxins which each have an impact on the earth’s natural resources and one can understand why designers have started going the eco friendly way. These days, green is trendy and in a big way.
So imagine just how excited the fashion world was a few years back when two of our very own global desi green designer warriors subtly displayed sustainable fashion among their other designs at various fashion shows. Eco friendly fabrics have never gotten a better show and a wider audience at least of late.
Image courtesy LBB
Anita Dongre is no stranger to sustainable fashion and in many ways she deserves the credit for making eco-friendly materials look so Indian and cool. One of the first designers to admit that India had the capacity to produce environment friendly fabrics without compromising on quality, she proudly displayed a bridal lehenga which was made entirely from certified organic cotton at the Lakme Fashion Week around 6 years back. Cotton is the last fabric that any bride would turn to when it comes to her wedding day, but what made this lehenga such a big hit was the Rajasthani embroidery which was featured on the borders. She partnered with Chetna Organic to source authentic cotton that was free from chemicals.
Image courtesy Hindustan Times
Rahul Mishra Collection at the Vogue Wedding Show
Cut to the year 2017 and Rahul Mishra who displayed a bridal wear collection that looked heavy but which was so light and comfortable to wear at the India Couture Week Which just wrapped up recently. One look at the gorgeous embroidery and one is tempted to think that the bridal lehengas can be worn just once in one’s lifetime because they look so regal. But here’s the catch- you can create your own separates and pair them with the original deigned lehenga for an entirely different look. Plus, his fabrics can even be washed at home and have a fancy name- hand embroidered sustainable fashion. The designer himself says that his bridal lehengas can be worn at least 50 times.
Image courtesy FDCI
There are so many other Indian designers who have been contributing to sustainable fashion in their way. Notable among them are Swati Kalsi who works mainly with handcrafted textiles and is a regular at the Lakme Fashion Week. Anupama Dayal who has her own label called ‘Anupamaa’ works only with vegetable dyes, carved wooden blocks, needlecraft techniques and hand-printing. Paromita Banerjee who is also a regular at the Lakme Fashion Week believes that handloom fabrics are the original story tellers and stand a class apart.
Image: Paromita Banerjee
Sustainable fashion is here to stay!
Main Image courtesy -The Crimson Bride