Sustainability took centre stage at the ongoing fashion week held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Thursday. The collections showcased here on day two reiterated that brands are going far and beyond to facilitate an eco-friendly transformation.
In fact, they are communicating this approach to consumers and educating them about being mindful. We speak to three designers on the need for evolution, either personally or in customers, in a post-pandemic sartorial world.
IT IS TIME TO FOCUS ON BEST PRACTICES
At the Innovation for Circularity show presented by Rise Worldwide x Fashion For Good, Delhi-based designer Nitin Bal Chauhan’s conceptual collection ‘Countdown’ was a response to the environmental damage we’ve caused as a community. Chauhan shares, “Post the pandemic, people have more value for money and so they are becoming more conscious. As a country, we have always had best practices; now we just need to go back to it. We need to keep the dialogue focused on sustainability, circularity, innovation, and how to inspire youngsters. I think that people in positions of influence should have a sustainable side to them, and they must use their craft to promote best practices.”
BE MINDFUL AS A BRAND
Designer Karishma Shahani-Khan of the brand Ka-Sha translated the inconsistent and dynamic nature of water into her designs in her latest collection ‘Manthan’ at the Innovation for Circularity show by Rise Worldwide x Fashion For Good. Her pieces, made in cotton of differing weights, used elements such as appliques, embroidery, and pleats. Karishma—her brand is sustainable from its inception—mentions that people opting for eco-friendly fashion choices only helps brands like hers. However, in the wake of the pandemic, she says that she started focusing on the minutiae of her business. “Post the pandemic, we were clear about taking a certain stand. Our planning and management has evolved. We have started focusing on how we can be more prepared and how we can move stock around more mindfully; we have worked on the business side of things for the better.”
LEARN TO REINVENT
PRATIMA Pandey, founder and designer of the brand Prama, drew inspiration from the protagonist Paro of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Devdas. Using handwoven silk chanderi and Maheshwari with delicate flora-fauna embroidery—a brand signature—Pratima embraced multi-hues in this collection as opposed to her previous creations. For Pratima, the post-COVID sartorial mantra lies in ‘reinvention’. “I think there is a lot of focus on being conscious. But, of course, we need more clothes. Reinventing what you have is the next big thing. I think styling has become a strong aspect of fashion—wear the same thing but style it differently.”