FIVE PLACES TO EXPERIENCE INDIA’S SLOW FASHION

From Tamil Nadu to Varanasi, explore workshops and craft villages where you can learn the stories, skills, and sustainable practices behind India’s handlooms

- Jatan Kalra

In the era of fleeting trends and purchases just a tap away, fashion’s relationship with sustainability has become increasingly fractured.

According to environmental website earth.org, today’s fashion industry emits more greenhouse gases than international flights and shipping combined, and uses one-fifth of the world’s wastewater through dyeing alone.

However, rising awareness of climate change and the growing emphasis on Sustainability are fuelling the slow fashion movement, which is beginning to mend that bond. At its core lies a return to consciousness: knowing where our clothes come from, who makes them, and the stories woven into every fabric.

India, home to one of the oldest textile traditions in the world, is now seeing a quiet revival of handloom literacy.

Several workshops and villages are opening their doors to travellers curious about the craft, inviting them to watch, spin, dye and even weave alongside artisans.

“When we first launched this workshop, all twenty slots were filled. You could see the spark and the joy of making something with your own hands in everyone there,” says Sathyan, program coordinator at the Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Chennai, when asked about the popularity of such workshops.