Brands adapting to slow fashion

As people move towards green alternatives, boutiques sense big business opportunity

With sustainability becoming the buzzword in the fashion industry, a self-sustaining approach seems to be the way forward for brands and boutiques across the globe. 

Here are some homegrown clothing startups in the city paving the way towards a greener future.

Timri

A boutique store based in the heart of Indiranagar, their clothes are made and designed in-house. They work with weavers from around the country to produce fine products out of bio-natural fibres. This fashion venture specialises in contemporary separates such as dresses, tops, jackets and pants. They also claim to be an inclusive label and undertake customisation for all ages and genders. 

“Fashion can be made sustainable by conscious consumption and creation,” says Kusum Rohra from Timri.

Ethic Attic

A Fair Trade certified organisation, they produce their own products and also curate products from 25 other brands that are trying to make a favourable impact on planet and society. Their fabrics are woven by women from self-help clusters; all their products further one of the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN. They are based out of Indiranagar.

They work with unusual fabrics made from aloe vera, corn, soya, banana, lotus, eucalyptus, hemp, orange and rose petals. They use dyes made from natural products such as fruit peels, tree bark and flowers.  

Indibox

Based in Jayanagar, this organisation makes fashion-forward but conscious clothing. They fuse Indian fabrics into western silhouettes to offer a variety of clothing from kurtas, shirts, dresses, jackets and saris to fusion and festive wear. Their organic fabric is sourced from weavers in remote villages.

Aarti Deshpande, founder of Indibox, says, “Re-use, recycle and remodel is the mantra we follow at Indibox and in our regular life.” 

House of Primes

The city-based fashion and lifestyle house that believes in elevating artisans and evolving craft traditions. “From yarn to textiles to surface techniques implemented, 80 per cent of the process is completed in the homes of the artisans and the remaining 20 per cent happens in our studio in Bengaluru,” said Nupur, creative head of House of Primes. 

Studio Moya

The city-based venture uses only natural products like cotton, leather from dead animals and other traditional leathers that are unspoilt by chemicals.  They offer apparel for women, accessories and home decor items, made from hand-painted fabrics.

Pomogrenade

The ethical fashion brand locally sources fabrics and employs a fair trade manufacturing unit to produce clothes with little or no wastage. They try to make silhouettes that fit all body types.

Core by JSI

A slow fashion brand, it transforms sustainable textiles into contemporary clothing. They use fabrics made from bamboo, tencel, orange fibre, cupro and recycled organic cotton. The boutique operates out of Leela Palace.