How do you make a homegrown label sustainable?

Sustainability was not the luxury it is today when I was growing up. My mother’s quarterly trips to Khadi Gramodyog stores and purchases of yards of pastel-coloured fabric, which she later tailored into razor-sharp short-length tunics and mandarin collared shirts, expressed this way of life. When I arrived in Delhi many years later, I was accosted by friends who were amazed at the clothes in my wardrobe. The brand of Indian Middle-Class Motherhood, I would chuckle.

Kavita Parmar is the founder and creative director of the IOU Project and Xtant, an annual festival that celebrates heritage, textiles, and craft. “In Indian homes, the word wasn’t used, but the concept was always there,” she says. Parmar’s heritage was the inspiration for her sustainability concept. She began her career as a sourcing manager for major American brands. She gives the example of the simple lungi, a piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and has both ends tied together. In most homes, this goes from being a clothing item to becoming a bedsheet to a towel to finally becoming a rag.

Parmar explains that “there are a thousand lives dedicated to everything”.

A new generation of Indian designers is recognizing the urgent need for zero-waste policies, ethical production practices and a focus on sustainability in their labels. Ashita Singhal is the founder of Paiwand Studio. She believes that sustainable fashion can be found in everyday life. She shares that “whether it was my grandmother’s dhoti or my mother’s silk sarees,” everything was passed down or reused. It was actually her mother’s practice paiwandlagana (repairing clothing) that inspired the brand name, with its concepts of mending and reusing garments.

ROOTED in TRADITION

Ashita Singhal of Paiwand Studio believes that sustainable fashion is in the everyday mundane. “Whether it’s my grandfather’s or my mother’s sarees or dhotis, everything has either been passed down or reused.”

Singhal, unlike many others in the industry, does not view sustainability as a moniker imposed on designers and producers. She views it as a natural by-product of thoughtful design and responsible manufacturing. It’s all about authenticity for her — understanding local issues and materials. She discovered that weavers were abandoning their craft because of financial difficulties when she visited the Sunder Nagar Mill in Delhi. Singhal pledged to preserve weaving and provide jobs so that the handloom tradition would not disappear with time. She says, “I was deeply touched by what I witnessed and it strengthened my resolve to work and uplift these communities.”

Sonam Khetan’s label carries this philosophy. The brand, which was launched in 2022, uses only natural dyes and does not use animal skins or polyester. This reflects Khetan’s vision for a brand “caring“ about the environment, people who make the clothes, and customers who wear the clothing. She asserts that “it’s not possible to do anything anymore, fashion or otherwise,“ without engaging in the defense of the biosphere.

AU NATUREL

Sonam Khetan’s eponymous brand only uses natural colours and does not use animal skins or polyester. This reflects Khetan’s vision for a brand that “cares“ about the environment, the people who make the clothes, and the customers who wear the clothing.

Khetan’s collections aren’t dictated by passing trends but rather by a timeless story. Her designs combine the beauty of Indian craftsmanship with clean, minimalist silhouettes. Regional and global influences influence Khetan’s pieces, whether she is working with Delhi-based artisans to create her pieces or using hand-woven Himalayan Wool. She describes an embroidery piece that was inspired by NASA’s map of India’s Monsoon Winds. Her work is not only “wearable art“ but also a way to “tell stories.”

There are many challenges for homegrown labels that prioritize sustainability when developing their brand identity, like Khetan & Singhal. Kriti Tula is the founder of Doodlage. She says that the cost of sustainable materials and production often puts consumers off. Khetan says that working with eco-friendly materials such as khadi and khadi fabric is not only expensive but also limits flexibility. These challenges have also spilt over into other issues, such as affordability in a price-sensitive market like India.

MIGHTY MOVES

Kriti Tula, Doodlage’s brand manager, tracks the company’s progress without relying on costly certifications. Her team instead spends hours sourcing locally, maintaining transparency in supply chains, conserving resources, and ensuring a fair wage for workers.

Karishma Khan, the founder of Ka-Sha, says that maintaining affordability and the integrity of a product is a constant balancing act. She remains committed to the social and environmental aspects of sustainability by ensuring artisans receive consistent work year after year to cultivate their crafts. To achieve this, Khan has launched Heart to Haat, a sister brand that uses every centimetre of fabric waste from Ka Sha’s production.

Heart to Haat measures its impact through practical metrics, such as tracking waste and evaluating the amount of material being reused.

Tula, Doodlage’s brand manager, tracks the progress of the company without having to rely on costly certifications. Her team instead spends hours sourcing locally, maintaining transparency in supply chains, conserving natural resources and ensuring fair wages for workers. She shares that “our ultimate goal is to incorporate more advanced tools and standards as we grow”, imagining a future in which the brand could continue to scale up its sustainability efforts while maintaining its values.

BALANCING Act

Karishma Khan, the founder of Ka-Sha, says maintaining product integrity while balancing affordability is a challenge. Khan is committed to the social and environmental aspects of sustainability. She ensures that artisans receive consistent work year after season to develop their craft.

Parmar, who rejects the binary of luxury brand positioning and industrial scale, muses on a possible business model to make sustainable fashion affordable. She envisions a patented pattern from a maison that can be accessed at an affordable price and hand-replicated on custom garments by local artisans. It would be like hearing a Beatles song. “It’s my dream, but all the technology required to make it happen is available,“ she says with a smile.