The silent battle of sustainable fashion against fast fashion by Mumbai labels

Ecoconscious fashion is on the rise With the rising impact of textile production over climate industry experts from Mumbai are coming up with sustainable fashion brands to negate the hazards of fast fashionFast fashion brands like Zara and HnM have democratized access to runway clothing and celebrity styles for todayrsquos youth High street labels are releasing fast fashion clothing at affordable rates that are easily dispensable With intense turnaround time consumers are being overfed with the latest clothing ranges or the next big trend evolving at the fashion weekTo counter this menace sustainable fashion brands are emerging in Mumbai with a mission to serve the environment and create awareness of ecoconscious clothing Madhumita Nath designer and founder EK katha a sustainable fashion brand in Mumbai shares ldquoGen Z is conscious of the impact of fast fashion and is actively trying to change their ways of consumption The simmering awareness is turning into a movement that needs to flare up for fast fashion consumption to slow downrdquoRaising awareness around sustainable clothingAlongside making sustainable clothing available to people brands are also ensuring that people are aware of its existence and benefits Paying closer attention to brands who offer better quality fabric are diligent in their craftsmanship and have the means to craft garments that are made for the long haul is the keyldquoWersquove observed sustainable fashion gradually making its way into the public consciousness and people have started to note its value This no longer is a niche market or a fad rather sustainable fashion is being made available with a conscience and a sense of purposerdquo shares Kaveri Lalchand founder of an ecoconscious label KaveriMadhumita adds that if it is cheap or affordable and is called sustainable then it is fishy and needs to be reviewed thoroughly Affordable and sustainable or made by artisans cannot go hand in hand Customers need to dig deeper and find out where and how its being manufactured before making the purchaseSynthetic vs natural fibersCotton linen silk hemp and bamboo are biodegradable natural materials and win over nylon and polyester clothing any day Not only do they feel breezy and light on the skin but also absorb sweat and keep infections at bay Unlike cotton polyester doesnrsquot absorb sweat and causes the skin to itch Another downside of synthetic clothing is that once discarded they do not break down easily in soil and continue to harm the environmentThere are other vegan materials derived from cork pineapple banana fish scales etc that are used to manufacture sustainable clothing These new innovations are brilliant and made in small quantities Hence they are priced based on their exclusive nature Cotton if not produced in a regenerative manner is equally harmful Blending it with polyester makes the recycling process tougher In the premise of sustainable fibers recycled materials are also being used to create clothing and accessoriesSustainable fashion wardrobe for menMen neednrsquot be weary when it comes to repurposing garments and accessories in their wardrobes Instead make them last longer and not let them overflow with more new purchases Be bold and adventurous with what you already have and pair them with one another that defines your personal style Create something new out of the existing pieces you already own that will help to reshape their image while saving money and resources along the wayAlso Read How pastels are redefining the traditional narrative for Indian bridesSustainable fashion wardrobe for womenKaveri Unlike men most women may have a larger versatile range of clothing that can still be reimagined in many ways just with the pieces they already own If you do wish to shop pay closer attention to brands that offer better quality fabric are diligent in their craftsmanship and have the means to craft garments that are made for the long haulTip by Madhumita Use heirloom fabrics and versatile classic pieces to define your style Jackets and scarves can be added to your ensemble to amplify the look along with throwing in quirky accessoriesKaveri highlights that in a world of instant gratification many turn to the likes of synthetic polyester acrylic nylon and viscose to name a few as the cheaper alternatives but these come at the cost of the environmentrsquos health for being nonbiodegradable renowned for their toxic microfibers and being one of the primary sources of oceanic pollution Both men and women need to understand the harms of buying synthetic clothing and adopt the practice of buying natural fibers to preserve the environmentRepurposing older garments from the wardrobeKaveri The beauty of fabrics and fashion is the ability to transform a piece of clothing into either a whole new piece or an item with some utility around the house For instance an old pair of jeans can be made into a smart pair of shorts distressing them with chalk or sandpaper to create a whole new version for an existing pair or creating a whole new item from the fabric into a bag bookmarks coasters pillows the possibilities are endlessMadhumita Let those creative juices flow for turning drab into interesting You can turn 2 pairs of jeans into a skirt You can turn them into bags or jackets as well What you get is a oneofakind upcycled marvelSometimes a wornout torn spot could be a great creative canvas for a pop of colourful patchwork or some interesting hand embroidery It all depends on how creative you can get I remember turning my momrsquos torn silk saree into a crochet bagHow fast fashion is basically lsquotrashionrsquoIndustrial production over slow craft production impacts cultural entrepreneurshipIndigenous artisans all over India are facing a threat from the mechanization of the textile industry Clothing that was produced exquisitely with fine craft is getting replaced rapidly with machinemade products Consequently consumers are feeding their neverending appetite with fast fashion giving a huge blow to Indian craftsmanshipWorkers are subjected to low wages long work hours and inhuman working conditions In a recent revelation garment workers in Karnataka a major clothing production hub in India revealed that their children are going hungry as factories refuse to pay the legal minimum wage ldquoIn fact 8537 of Indian textile workers have income below the minimum wage Most of these employees work over 60 hours a week and do not receive overtime payrdquo reported sizer a fashion b2b websiteCheaply made clothes are sold at affordable prices which appeal to everybody This has led to mindless consumption where people keep adding garments that they donrsquot necessarily need As a result consumers have begun to own a huge quantity of clothes with inferior quality often dispensable and rarely valuableMindless consumption of clothing has led to massive piles of waste in India which amount to almost 1 million tons of textile garbage each year This results in landfills piling up with nonbiodegradable polybased clothing More than 6037 of the material is polyester and the rest is cotton which is also not farmed ethically thereby polluting the water soil and air with carcinogenic fertilizers and pesticidesNGOs that recycle your discarded clothingSome of the notable organisations that practice the use and reuse of discarded clothing include Goonj Anandwan Ashram Smile Foundation Habitat for Humanity Nanhi Kali Operation Smile IndiaThe ripple effect of the creation of these NGOs has made a profound impact on those who arenrsquot fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to create a sustained living for themselves From providing food shelter and education these organisations have extended their hand in offering clothes made from recycled materials many have made a name for themselves over the years and their existence has dotted across several parts of the city and the nationAlso Read Here is a list of NGOs accepting your leftovers to recycle them for good