WELLNESS FIRST

Placing human and environmental wellbeing above prof its i s not a novel concept . But a new guard of fashion-conscious creatives is articulating an alternative to the discourse

- NIDA NAEEM

 

Conversations on sustainable fashion have come to a standstill, while fast fashion continues to be a popular choice among shoppers – Zara reported a 28.3 per cent fall in revenue in 2021 but bounced back with a whopping ₹ 1,815 crores in revenue from India at the end of FY22, according to the annual report published by Inditex Trent Retail India. Shein has been riding the TikTok popularity wave and is a go-to among Gen Z, the very generation that’s the most vocal about climate change. Even second-hand clothing has devolved into a feel-good alternative, with the rapid pace of the drop model that many thrift stores follow and the sense of urgency it evokes mirroring the excessive consumption synonymous with fast fashion. These are only a few contradictions we find today as trends wax and wane and clothing labels make new claims.

WISHING YOU WELL

Sustainability is an expansive topic. There’s always room for a grey area where there are umbrella terms – marked-up, ‘conscious’ lines, while most of the products a brand offers are sweatshop-chic, don’t mean much. Many sustainability initiatives factor in profits first and then work from there to minimise their environmental impact. But that’s not enough.