World Environment Day 2022: Here’s how sustainable fashion is revolutionising the way the style business operates

Sustainable fashion is the accelerating trend in the world of pret and couture, as the young populace today realises that leading an ethical and environmentally lifestyle can help avert the climate crisis and on World Environment Day 2022 this Sunday, we couldn’t help but cheer how sustainable fashion is revolutionising the way the business of fashion operates. One truck’s capacity of textiles is landfilled or burnt every second somewhere in the world but now, brands are creating apparel ranges that appeal to consumers’ modern sensibilities by combining age-old textiles, craft and production techniques with contemporary styles that are made from nature-based fibers derived from renewable wood and sourced responsibly from sustainably managed forests.

Some are making and using fibers that are an eco-friendly alternative to most natural and synthetic fibers while others are biodegradable and are made using significantly lesser resources, allowing us to contribute to a greener environment. Notice the conscious shift of clothing brands to make sustainable clothing? It has a lot to do with consumer sentiment on sustainability in fashion as millennials and Gen-Z are opting for sustainable and home-grown eco-friendly clothing brands that are paving the way for sustainable fashion to become mainstream.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Sree Charan, VP Marketing at Birla Cellulose, shared, “One of the main reasons of surge in sustainable fashion is the increased awareness of eco-friendly practices. Now a days, more brands are stepping forward to incorporate sustainable clothing and they are creating it by giving fashionable outlook based ongoing fashion trends. For instance, they are opting for fabrics that are composed by using natural cellulose fibres produced from wood pulp that is generated from trees grown specifically for this purpose, sourced from certified sustainable forests that enhances the fluidity and softness of fabric. These fabrics save landfills 6-7 times more than cotton and consume 3-4 times lesser water, are organic, ethically sourced, environment friendly and renewable.”

According to Priyanka Priyadarshini, Head Designer at Navyasa By Liva, there are environmentally responsible fashion brands that are leveraging technology to make clothing production and packaging more sustainable. She revealed, “From the use of plant-based textiles and bacteria-based dyes to deploying a blockchain-based supply chain to increase transparency, the aim is to stay sustainable at every step of the way like sarees are made of sustainable fabrics sourced from natural origins in an eco-conscious manner, bringing fluidity to the final product. The smooth flowy texture makes the sarees breathable, comfortable and easy to wear.”

Supporting sustainability is the new fashion trend and rightly so as fast fashion accounts for about 10% of the World Carbon Emission and nearly 20% of the world’s wastewater. With sustainability, reusability and self-care at the top of brand-conscious new-age consumers, an evident shift is seen in how customers interact with brands and their products where sustainable fashion is influencing the post-pandemic fashion choices as Covid-19 lockdowns lift across the globe after two years of the coronavirus pandemic. 

The fashion industry underwent a complete overhaul during these two years of Covid-19 lockdown and now, the way we dress has changed dramatically and style experts assert that fashion that can be worn for multiple purposes is here to stay. Fashion brands are implementing consumer-centric strategy to see what customers really want and all roads lead to the fact that the future is sustainable fashion where on any given day, a functional and versatile closet is preferable – one which allows styling of an essential piece in a variety of ways to blur the borders between casual and formal attire and evolve fashion to the point where it recognises that customising a silhouette is not limited to a specific demographic.