While travelling through India one of the most irresistible temptations for the foreign visitor is the fabulous wealth of textiles and range of clothing embellishments from zardozi to stunning needlework. India’s fashion designers have showcased some of the most glorious aspects of this heritage in their craft. Age-old paisleys, floral motifs and geometric shapes are inventively reworked into present day designs, further enhanced by the richness of Indian embroidery techniques like aari, chikankari, and zardozi.
Indian couture designs have found their way to fashion runways around the world. From Dame Judy Dench to Beyoncé, Lizzo, Jenna Ortega, Halle Bailey, Lady Gaga Oprah Winfrey, Victoria Beckham, Paris Hilton, Rihanna and many more have been embracing the superb creations by India’s top fashion designers.
In recent times conversations around more ethical lifestyle choices have been gathering momentum. Market responses though slow are steadily getting in sync with conscious sustainability as a form of self-expression for the fashionista.
While indulging in a shopping binge, keep in mind there is a crop of Indian designers going the sustainable way— choosing eco-friendly materials, responsible production practices with an aim to reduce its ecological footprint. Long preferred Indian fabrics such as silk, cotton, and khadi, are witnessing a big revival under the ministrations of many of India’s top flight designers, with contemporary silhouettes and designs.
Here are a bunch of labels which you can go for while keeping your own eco-friendly considerations in mind.
Ritu Kumar
‘Sustainability is woven into our DNA’ as Ritu Kumar, the veteran designer and textile revivalist of traditional Indian weaves, embroideries and crafts, once said. Slow fashion is at the heart of Ritu Kumar’s superb, timeless pieces, sold the world over. Ritu has been pursuing her dream by working with weavers from all over India since the mid-60s.
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
Designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have a catchment of some of the finest aspects of India’s textile traditions to dive into for their fabulous globally acknowledged craft. Their vigorous commitment to the India story is supported by their sourcing the most exquisite fabrics and textiles from across India, from leading weavers and companies.
Anita Dongre’
Designer Anita Dongre’ has been actively pursuing a more sustainable narrative in her Grassroots, AND, and Global Desi collections with sustainably-sourced fibres and eco-friendly dyes. Back in the day Dongre was involved in reviving gota patti, the craft of appliqué, from a village near Jaipur in Rajasthan. This entailed gold and silver fabrics being meticulously hand-cut by craftsmen and embroidered into myriad patterns with zari. As she sees it, a “design intervention” helps artisans create modern garments with their traditional crafts, while speaking about Grassroots and its eco-friendly pursuits.
Rahul Mishra
A firm proponent of ethical and sustainable fashion, supported by his use of eco-friendly materials and fair-trade practices, Mishra made history by being the first Indian designer to take part in the prestigious Paris Haute Couture Week in 2020. Isha Ambani was seen at the Met Gala 24 wrapped in Mishra’s glorious hand-embroidered and artisanal couture sari-gown. He is the recipient of the International Fashion Award for Sustainable and Ethical Brand in 2018.
Sabyasachi Mukherjee
The Bengali designer’s stunning embroidery works have showcased the most versatile aspects of the Indian craftsman’s needlework skills. His sumptuous collections are a salute to the generational skill pool of Indian weavers and embroiderers.
Amongst the younger crop of fashion designers following ethical practices are:
Sui, the eco-friendly initiative of Mahima Gujral is a beacon for sustainable clothing. Her eco-friendly materials of choice are hemp and organic cotton, both durable and certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). She prefers to use herbal dyes, to minimize environmental harm and recycles wastewater from the dyeing process. Her upcycling practices for leftover fabric and packaging with recycled material underpin her deep commitment to sustainable clothing. Furthermore, she has collaborated with the non-profit Women Weave which supports a sustainable supply chain and also empowers women in hand spun fabric production space.
Doodlage run by Kriti Tula is another big supporter of the slow fashion movement. Firmly committed to United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), she pursues her craft with the innovative practice of recycling and upcycling fabric waste for her outfits. Showcasing her skill at transforming waste into expressions of creativity and conscientious design is her range of accessories including notebooks, laptop bags, and wallets— which even extends into the space of eco-packaging.
Maati is the brainchild of Neha Kabra the Udaipur-based designer. This ethical clothing label celebrates slow fashion with a zero-waste policy, utilising upcycled yarns, natural dyes, and working with local craftsmen from across India. Neha’s garments are adaptable to various body types while ensuring that they are also adjustable, skin-friendly, and ecologically responsible.
Two unmissable brands in the Indian revivalist space for textiles and artisanal crafts have been FabIndia and Anokhi.
Delhi-based FabIndia was started by American John Bissel over 50 years ago. His love for Indian fabrics is what set off the journey of ‘Fab” India…pun intended! From clothing for men and women, home accessories, ornaments and beauty aids and food items, the brand has expanded its amazing range down the decades. At the heart of this iconic brand is the close relationship it shares with India’s artisanal community. This has been pivotal to this beautiful relationship of sustainable employment and preservation of traditional crafts.
Jaipur-based Anokhi has been firmly embedded in the traditional Indian textiles landscape for over 40 years, offering artisanal textiles featured in a beautiful range of dresses, tops, kurtas, bags, scarves etc.
India, has a wealth of tempting range of sustainable shopping experiences to enjoy in the high fashion, textiles and handloom and handicrafts landscape. Depending on your pocket and personal equation with sustainable lifestyle choices you will rarely return home disappointed from indulging the shopaholic in you.