SUSTAINABLE FASHION-what, why,when,where and how.

“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and
unhappiness” – Mahatma Gandhi.

What Is Slow Fashion?
is it a movement, or a revolution, or a passing phase (believed by the defeatist)
here’s a proper definition of slow fashion
Slow Fashion is awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet.

How did it start?
The term Slow Fashion came about quite organically. It was coined by Kate Fletcher of the Centre for Sustainable Fashion, following the phenomena of the slow food movement.

From the last few years, people have found out the ugly truth behind the shimmer the stats say it all. Apparel and footwear production currently accounts for 8.1 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Euromonitor analysts warn that the fashion market’s annual 5 percent growth risks “exerting an unprecedented strain on planetary resources” by raising annual production to more than 100 million tons by 2030. If no action is taken, emissions from textile manufacturing alone is projected to skyrocket by 60 percent, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate. Change we can no longer turn a blind eye. But there is some hope as sustainable fashion is being adapted by many as per a research 19% of the top fast fashion-related searches are linked to the environment, sustainability, and ethics.

what does the research say?

The number of garments produced annually has doubled since 2000 and exceeded 100 billion for the first time in 2014

More than half of fast fashion purchases are discarded in less than a year

Less than 1% of the materials used to produce clothing is recycled (representing an over $100 billion loss each year)

Estimated 17% to 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and fabrics finishing treatment

“Fashion can be a universal player in protecting the planet” –
Pharrell Williams

When we talk about slow fashion we come across a few terminology like sustainable fashion, ethical fashion, the handcrafted fashion they might sound similar but they consist of their own identity and here we are going to clear this confusion.

So what is sustainable fashion?
It refers to the effects of the production of clothing on the environment. This includes the use of pesticides in growing cotton, other natural, sustainable fabrics, the dyes used for various colors, water and waste treatment, energy reduction, using recycled materials, and sometimes even packaging. The list of opportunities to be a more sustainable fashion brand goes on and on. To sum up it concerns the environment.

What about ethical fashion?
This refers to how the clothing was made, encompassing everything from how the cotton was grown to how the garment workers who made the clothes are treated and paid, their safety (no sweatshops, child labor, worker abuse, or slavery involved). It concerns human rights.

What does handcrafted mean when it comes to clothing?

“Handmade” means that at least part of the garment was made the old fashioned way, by hand. This might mean a hand-stitched collar, an embroidered sleeve, or embellished cuffs, or it could mean that a single person used a sewing machine to construct the garment rather than a fast-fashion assembly line process.

Why handcrafted fashion?
A superior handloom product, aesthetically appealing as well as ecologically-friendly, cannot be sold out of compassion but needs the modern technology of marketing and retailing, and needs to be projected as the best in the world. A fact not commonly known is that the textile sector is the second largest employer in rural India, after agriculture. India was the world’s largest supplier of textiles 200 years ago.
The present lockdown is raising important questions: What is the purpose of fashion and does it add value? As India is a land of craftsmen and heritage skills passed down from generations, the time has come to work with only sustainable, ethical, conscious, and slow fashion.
Anuradha Ramam, Designer

“Buy less. Choose well. Make it last” -Vivienne Westwood

As we have talked about sustainable fashion now let’s dig deeper and know how we can start a sustainable fashion life?

Research– I think the first step is to start researching the sustainable fashion dig deep into why it is important and how muchit can affect the environment.

Pick your style– then it’s time to define your style how will this help? let me break it down to follow sustainability you need to create a capsule wardrobe so picking your style can help you find your own identity that will create a boundary for your shopping list.

Falling in love- love your clothes create nostalgia with your garments so they live long in your heart as well as in your wardrobe.

Know your brand -the most important one is keep your shopping list filled with just sustainable fabric and from a valuable brand. buy vintage clothes, redesign old clothes, shop from smaller producers, make clothes and accessories at home and buy garments that last longer.

“Realize the political power of your money and spend it with the brands you know are treating their workers and the environment in the best possible way” -Lily Cole

To help you fill your shopping cart with less, efficient, and 100% sustainable fashion we have listed a few brands that are also Desi by heart

InSom by Sajal Jain
it is an organic and up-cycled clothing label that guarantees 100% zero-waste production. It’s not only super stylish cool and comfortable, the brand recycles leftovers, defective and surplus fabrics from large-scale organic fabric manufacturing industries and transforms them into wearable pieces of art.

Doodlage
It is a sustainable clothing brand that makes circular fashion mainstream. They make garments, accessories, and home products made out of fabric scraps sourced from large manufacturing units in India. These fabrics otherwise add to landfills or go into incineration. From simple separates, dresses, and jumpsuits for women to shirts for men. The patterns and prints are super fun, crisp, fresh, and versatile.

Liva fashion
The Aditya Birla Group’s pioneering Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF) is of 100% natural origin, highly absorbent, has a terrific texture, and is completely biodegradable. It has alluring prints that will melt your heart and would help you enough to turn to sustainable living. The vibe is desi with a touch of modern elegance.

Anokhi
this brand started from the Pink city Jaipur the brand has lived for more than 40 years and has stores all over the country. The magic of this brand lies in its rich selection of graceful dazzling prints on dresses, tops, Kurtis, bags, trousers, skirts, and prairie dresses. etc. Anokhi embraces artisanal textiles

Good Earth
was the brainchild of founder Anita Lal. Inspired by her travels and with a passion for sustaining tradition and livelihoods, their Sustain collection made the brand forge relationships with artisan communities supporting age-old craft traditions. It is another brand that has been there for a good long time. The brand is super aesthetic and filled with grace. It also does accessories, home decor.

How can you style yourself in sustainable fashion with something you already have?

Here i took the most comfortable fabric – cotton. A classic white T-shirt with this beautiful printed skirt worn as a tube dress added some silver jewellery to complete it.

Got myself a alluring cotton dress with fascinating prints to make it more stylish i added the same T-shirt added a knot and we are done.

A super easy way to look stylish and minimalistic at the same time is to wear co-ed set and to style it up i added this midnight blue shirt .

Saree not sorry wearing this beautiful blue ombre saree. The material is so smooth and soft you can wear it all day long.

Can you believe this is a cotton saree it’s super comfortable, easy to carry, and tantalising. Styled it with some choker and earring set.

so this is my outlook about slow fashion and how to go about living a happy, satisfied, sustainable lifestyle to ensure a committed relationship with the environment. I think sustainable fashion is very versatile and can be styled in so many different ways.

Resources

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-slow-fashion