Little Known Ways to SUSTAINABLE FASHION

What Is Sustainable Fashion?

The discovery of sustainable fashion trend has changed our wardrobes insight to more to off-white and unbleached options, yet a lot more about sustainability is to be discovered!
By Chahat Jain

Introduction to sustainable fashion




Sustainability, by definition, means a fashion idea that is crafted from eco-friendly textiles, grown from sustainable fiber crops or recycled material under the environmental-friendly method’.Fashion is a diversified agenda to be explored; with sustainability as an element soaring higher and higher. With the world driving their forces towards the sustainable elements, fashion industry advances their choice for greener alternatives. Sustainable fashion incurs multiple picks like shoes, accessories, bags, and textiles.


Sustainable clothing is a movement that fosters our choices towards the change in the fashion system and adopting an eco-friendly fashion trend for every season.

Today, it has become of the reading and covered topics in media as sustainability is incredibly important. Sustainability, from using eco-friendly material to new technological ideas has reinvented the fashion industry with more focused production, and greener design.

A greener approach by the brands motivated the celebrities, influencers, and consumers for eco-friendly alternatives. Also, this sustainable idea maximizes the benefit and minimizes the effect on the environment as it reduces the consumption of natural resources and minimizes the waste of the fashion industry, globally. It would lead to improvement at all stages from the selection of raw material to the packaging of the final product.

Purpose and Importance of Sustainable fashion



The foundation of sustainability is built over the three pillars; economic, social and environmental. The informal introduction to these three is registered as a for-profit, people and planet, discovered by John Elkington. The idea has to sustain for the benefit of the foundation pillars of sustainability.
The prevailing planet problems crumpled the idea of fast fashion and redirected our choices towards sustainable fashion. The purpose of sustainability is to meet the present-day requirements without compromising the future needs of the coming generations. Sustainable clothing is made out of eco-friendly textiles with less distortion of natural resources and thus making it more durable and suitable for different weather conditions.

The individual shift of fashion choice and behavior towards sustainability is important for the betterment of the planet and well-being of the humans. This new fashion alternative has been bandied as it contributes to producing an environment- friendly atmosphere. It uses the recycled material for its production and made from green fabrics that are easy to grow and cultivate. The production of sustainable fashion requires less water consumption, thus making it eco-friendly.
Sustainable fashion is also an ethical fashion as it deals and delivers fair wages and decent working conditions to the workers. Choosing the locals from rural and working on fair terms and conditions, makes the sustainable fashion an ethical means of fashion.


Sustainable Fashion Scope In India


Even though India has always been a sustainable country in fashion, yet the fast fashion era captured a major market in the subcontinent discouraging sustainable practices amongst Indian buyers.
According to an article https://bit.ly/2RZlZbe

Mc Kinsey- The Indian Apparel is expected to cross $59 billion in 2022 positioning itself to be the 6th largest country in the world in fashion scope.

According to YouGov Survey, about 83% of buyers in fashion are conscious and consider sustainability as a factor before deciding on purchasing a product.




Sustainable Fashion Brands

Attracted towards the couture brands for their fulsome display of clothes, now is the time to make a new shift towards the Sustainable fashion brands. With the minimalistic approach towards fashion, inclination towards fresh fashion has been increasing.




10 brands holistically integrated the idea of sustainability since its foundation by I Knock Fashion Desk:

1)    Ka-sha- A Pune based brand that weaves the thread of sustainable clothing line from materials, designing to manufacturing, aims to ‘zero waste generation’. All the products are made with natural fabrics and dyes and creating practical products from recycled and reused materials.

2)    Amrapali Boutique-A West Bengal based boutique ‘specializes in handloom and eco-friendly saris and blouses’. Handloom fabrics are sustainable and easily recyclable.

3)    Doodlage- Instigated sustainability as an essence, they source raw material from factory waste under the sustainable environment and by paying fair wages to the workers. “The products are packed in 100% biodegradable plastics”, contributing a lot to nature.

4)    Chakori Ethnic- The brand working with local craftsmen and artisans aims to create sustainable clothes. The choice of hand-woven, and experimental fabric, stands out this brand in the sustainable world.

5)    Maga- A Noida based brand, it uses the processed organic dyes obtained from grass, onion skin and coffee/tea leftovers, and also incorporates the leftover flowers from weddings to create a sustainable environment with affordable fashion.

6)    Runway Bicycle- The Mumbai based brand specializing in clothing and home décor. They use natural dyes and hand-woven fabrics and collaborates with weavers to produce green clothing.

7)    Button Masala- With an aim to zero wastage and maximum satisfaction, it takes sustainable fashion on an interesting side by just putting buttons and rubber bands over the fabric without stitching or scrapping of it.

8)    Sundarii Handmade- Keeping in mind the dualities of traditional and contemporary, it initiated towards sustainability by using natural dyes and fabrics, making it affordable by the help of rural artisans.

9)    Nool by Hand- The Tamil Nadu based brand tries to sustain the handloom sector by using the 100% natural, hand-woven fabric for the designs and inculcating the local workers equipped with handloom tools.

10)    Mantra- The Kochi based studio specializes in sustainable ethnic wear, reuses the paper for their sketches. The uniqueness lies when the workers are paid for conserving the paper through the process of cutting and minimizing the wastage.

Also, the ‘Conscious Collection’ by the high street fashion brand H&M drives the brand into a sustainable world. The collection was made using recycled materials. It also aims to become 100% ‘climate positive’ by 2040 and pledged to use 100% sustainable material by 2030. H&M’s clothing recycling service, allowing customers to bring their old clothes from any brand to the store to be recycled has sustained the brand in our minds for the new trend of sustainability.

Interesting Facts About Sustainability

Let’s discover some of the unknown and interesting facts about sustainable fashion.

1. According to the Global Fashion Agenda, 26% of business owners surveyed believed that “low consumer willingness to pay a premium for sustainable products was the greatest barrier for them to become more sustainable”.
2. An approach towards ethical fashion is increasing favorably with the fact that 60% of millennials want to adopt sustainable choices.
3. Many brands have initiated sustainable production as 12.5% of the global fashion market has pledged to change by 2020.
4. Only 15% of consumers recycle their used clothing.    
5. The clothing brand ‘Patagonia’ became the first to use fleece as material for its fabrication and manufacturing.

Sustainable Ways by I Knock Fashion Desk 

Sustainable fashion does little or no harm to the environment. The production requires less amount of water and limited energy and can be produced with recyclable material, making our environment greener and cleaner to live.

One must adopt sustainable reasons and ways that contribute to a healthy and good quality environment.

• Acceptance of Organic clothing
• Increase the use of green (sustainable) options that leads to the use of unbleached fabrics that has an off-white or natural color.
• Use of fleece, a fabric that is made from recycled plastic bottles
• Use recycled and eco-friendly products
• Use natural or low impact dyes as a greener alternative that is not toxic.
• Use of eco-friendly fabrics like linen, hemp, bamboo, lyocell, alpaca, organic wool, and silk, for a sustainable lifestyle.

Sustainable Market

The shift to sustainable fashion that includes paying the workers efficiently, using the natural fabrics and dyes is not new to the 21st century as it upholds the record of being implemented at the time of Mahatma Gandhi. It was his idea to boycott the swadeshi goods and adopt local goods. The practice of Charkha and making the khadi by the use of organic methods leads to a better environment and developing sustainability.

In contemporary times, when Sustainable fashion has been a penchant for many, it has likely to increase the Indian Business market. The process of manufacturing and production of sustainable items is a little tedious but it contributes towards the profit of many workers. The Indian market is likely to grow with sustainable fashion choices as everyone is going greener for the betterment.
The monetary side of sustainable items has grown a lot because of their awareness. Due to the process and making, it is relatively expensive of what we buy in polyester and other harmful fabrics. The cost directly is incurred by the consumer thus, making it restricted for premium customers. The market is growing at good terms but still, the minority is lacking the use of sustainability due to its affordability.

Adoption of sustainable fashion is a gradual process that would be undertaken with a lot of awareness. The designer’s contribution and consumer’s initiative to stay with this alternative has revolutionized fashion choices.