The Fabric of our future: Why India’s girls and women must choose natural fibre over polyester

“You have enough plastic in you to manufacture a credit card — and you will pay for it someday.” Sadhguru’s warning lands with the force of truth. Microplastics have now been found in human blood, lungs, breast milk and even the placenta.

- NAMRATA KOHLI

Which means girls born today begin life with plastic already inside them. India, once the world’s textile centre that clothed Europe and Arabia, and had 132 distinct weaves, is now mainly importing polyester and nearly 70 percent of our own weaves are nearing extinction with the cottage industries ravaged during the British colonial rule. Today, the crisis is not only ecological or economic. It is intimate. It sits on our skin.

The clothes trending on young women today often work against both biology and well-being. A whole generation is now wrapped almost entirely in polyester — fast fashion, fast cycles, fast discards. Cheap, synthetic and available everywhere, it has quietly become the default fabric of youth culture. But it’s real cost is hidden. Polyester traps heat, irritates the skin, releases microplastics, clings in humidity and suffocates the very climate we are trying to survive.

Sadhguru warns parents that children should ideally wear only organic cotton or linen at least till the age of sixteen. Polyfibre is so flammable that it has to be almost always coated with chemical fire retardants. Many of these chemicals are known to be carcinogenic. He speaks of the rise in thyroid disorders, behavioural issues, autism spectrum challenges and hormonal disturbances in young children and reminds us that we cannot separate these trends from what goes on their skin every day.

Polyfiber’s mass appeal, especially among girls and women, comes from a superficial convenience. It dries quickly, rarely needs ironing and looks “ready to wear” straight from the wardrobe. For hostel-going students, young professionals with unpredictable schedules or mothers juggling a hundred responsibilities, polyester feels like a quick solution. But the shortcut undermines comfort, health and sustainability in the long run.