Environment friendly fashion

The international fashion industry is buzzing with the sixth edition of the Eco-fashion week to be held at Vancouver this month. As the name of the fashion show suggests its link with environment, it is likely to gain attention of the designers and textile industries all across the globe, especially when the focus is on the innovation in fashion.

But while billions are being earned in revenue by the industry, it is also correct that this is third most environmentally damaging industry in the world - owing to its over utilisation of natural resources. Therefore in order to save the environment from the harmful damages caused by the fashion industry, the concept of eco-fashion has taken birth. In India too designers have begun experimenting with it.

“Eco fashion is a term that deals with many issues – from ethical fashion design and production to retail and purchasing. It covers a range of issues including working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, environment and animal welfare. It is about making clothes from organic raw materials like cotton, silk and jute.

Harmful chemicals and bleaches are used to colour fabrics normally but not when eco-fashion comes into play,” says designer Deepika Govind whose philosophy is ‘Fashion for Earth’.

Presently, the owner of two stores in Delhi and Bangalore respectively, Deepika says, “I use only pure fabrics – no synthetics. Polyester is a big no, no. With vegetable and organic dyes, I have used organic cotton. Khadi collections (handspun yarn, handwoven fabrics) and organic silk lines are now an annual feature.

“Moreover, I have worked on several eco-friendly lines, recreating a traditional fabric by treating the yarn or blending it with another pure fabric, to make it more pliable. Like with Eri or the Peace Silk, I softened the otherwise coarse Eri yarn to create a collection of stoles and shawls, and then went on to weave a range of Eri silk sarees. I blended the khadi yarn with tencel and modal (manmade cellulosic eco fibres, made from the bark of trees) to give khadi an enviable drape and tenacity,” she says.

According to the designer: “The Indian consumer is ready for eco friendly clothing – there is a growing market and alongside an increasing awareness, an individual commitment towards preserving a fading environment.”

Supporting the trend of eco-fashion, Jaswant Daranga, is final year student of the National Institute of Fashion Technology says, “Eco-friendly garments are about using as much natural resource as possible. A variety of clothing is manufactured using organic cotton, recycled fibres and bamboo and these could be classified ‘green’ as well.
“As for the ‘waste’, garment manufacturers are experimenting with the residual in the production process to spin recycled fabrics. Besides, retailers are also now encouraging manufacturers to opt for a production cycle using less water, leading to water conversation.”