“There is no beauty in the finest of cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Fashion production releases 10% of the world’s carbon emissions, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of all water pollution worldwide.
If the fashion industry continues on its current path, it will produce 26% of the world’s carbon footprint by 2050. Clearly, some drastic changes need to occur and remedy the scenario.
Clothing and fashion are mere words that only bring to mind glitz, glamour
and style when you first start to think about it. However, sustainability in the fashion industry has now become a buzz word. The world is moving towards sustainability.
In fact, sustainability is well poised to be the new normal.
“Sustainable fashion” web searches have increased by 66%. Unfortunately,
the industry still has a long way to go based on the above data. Well, the only positive thing in all of this is the fact that the consumers are much more aware and concerned about the environment, now more than ever.
There are even brands that have started to bring sustainable fashion to their forefront with capsules of clothing made from recycled products right from scratch.
Fast-fashion has been slowly taking a backseat for the slow fashion movement to take the center stage. Clothes should have a deeper meaning.
Instead of mad consumerism that a majority of fast fashion brands these days run after, timeless clothing that does not adhere fast-changing
trends need to be created.
If the industry truly wants to embrace sustainable practice then it needs to reach out to small companies for innovation. There are a variety of small scale brands around the globe that are trying to leave a mark in the fashion industry and are coming up with solutions to sustain the resources that are
used to make fashion.
These natural resources are scarce, they can only survive if we mend our ways to use them without unnecessarily harming the environment.
Use of natural dyes, organic production of cotton, up-cycling plastic to make long-lasting footwear, closely monitoring the supply chain, reducing and reusing water in the dyeing process, creating capsules with scraps, transparency with the consumers, etc. are just some ways that can easily be incorporated in the process of creation.
Here’s why you should should consider upcycling your wardrobe:
(Saumya Mehrotra is a design graduate from NIFT. She is the founder of eleven, a clothing studio in the heart of Banaras that creates Western and Fusion Apparel for women. She has been responsibly making environmentally friendly clothing since the inception of her studio. (elevenbysaumyamehrotra)
(On 50 years of Earth Day – join us in making India’s largest climate action manifesto. #FiftyForFifty. Connect with us and tell what step are you taking for climate action?)
