The best guide for Sustainable Fashion in India

The best guide for sustainable fashion in India | Many Indian homegrown brands are making a fashion statement with upcycled, fair trade and organic alternatives. However, sustainable fashion is also wildly misinterpreted.

“One home run is much better than two doubles.” These words by Steve Jobs might be related to before you buy something. Even though he didn’t mean it, everything in this line represents the choice of sustainable fashion in India.

Understanding sustainable fashion in India

Sustainable fashion in India needs to start right from the mindset. It is relevant to ask questions about fashion, the brands we support, and the clothes we need to buy. Buy why it is important from a sustainability point of view.

It is a known fact that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of the total carbon emissions and is also greatly responsible for water and land pollution. That’s why we decided to curate this detailed guide to sustainable fashion in India.

As the name suggests, fast and slow fashion refers to the pace at which the changes are made in the wardrobe. It is essential to ask yourself – Do you buy new clothes that are harmful to the environment, exploit labours, abuse animals and have a short shelf life? Or do you invest in an excellent, long-lasting quality material made in ethical conditions, cruelty-free, and pays a fair wage?

Sustainable fashion in India

Thanks to the Indian heritage and culture of using handlooms, India is already a pioneer for sustainable fashion. But due to the western trends and fashion kicking in, there is an increasing number of waste that piles up every day.

Out of all the fashion items discarded, only 15% of the clothes are donated and recycled. The piles of fashion waste are also responsible for releasing methane, a deadly greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

All these problems give a reason to embrace slow fashion in India and go back to the traditional roots with innovation.

Here’s why India should adopt sustainable fashion.

There are nearly 170 million children still working or are forced to work at the garment brands.
The fashion industry uses up to 93 billion cubic meters of water every year.
One hundred fifty million trees are cut and made into fabric every year.
Nearly half a billion plastic microfibers are dumped in the ocean every year.

The growth of online shopping has fueled fast fashion brands to reach out to millions of people, creating constant pressure to keep up with the changing trends. Considering the advent of changing trends in the fashion industry, India has already set its way to embrace fast fashion taxing on the environment.

The slow but steady growth of slow fashion in India

Sustainable clothing has seen rapid growth in India, with growth plans to improve the textile industry in India and take the initiative to save the Earth.

Also, with the growing awareness towards climate change, an increasing number of shoppers now prefer buying sustainable clothing, which has led to the growth of many startups in India.

But does sustainable fashion only have to do with business? Typically speaking, sustainable fashion refers to clothes and products.

Made from eco-friendly and recycled fabrics
Using organic materials and dyes
Implementing fair trade practices
No animal testing

As you can see, sheer fabric and material don’t make clothing sustainable. It is essential that other aspects like manufacturing practices and animal testing also play a significant role.

How to make sustainable fashion choices in India

Given the urgency to make a switch to sustainable fashion choices in India and embrace ethical and conscious fashion choices in India, there are many ways in which you can embrace the mindset and set your path to be more sustainable, ethical and conscious.

Ask before you buy anything.

Do you need that dress? Can it sustain for long, or is it just a short term cosmetic collection? Do you find yourself wearing that clothing repeatedly?

If you are purchasing the clothes impulsively, you might end up ordering something that you may not use a lot and waste your money and resources. Make sure that you do a quick research and post queries if necessary. Brands usually reply to the questions on social media or email.

Invest in eco-friendly and cruelty-free brands

Buying less should also be followed by proper investment in better alternatives.

Look out for clothes made from organic material and ensure that less water and chemical dyes are used in the products.
You also need to replace the cotton clothes with eco-friendly fabrics, usually those materials that use fewer resources like water and land and nourish the soil.
Purchase items that are made from alternative materials.
Also, choose materials that are not made from animal ingredients
In the end, make sure the company follows ethical and sustainable business practices.