JD Institute of Fashion Technology
WHY DO WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE CONSCIOUS, SUSTAINABLE FASHION CHOICES.

It is no longer up for debate that our modern society has to bring about a number of innovative solutions in line with sustainability without any more delay. Keeping in mind the growing knowledge of how Fashion is one of the most wasteful industries in the world. Sustainable fashion is thus partly about producing clothes, shoes and accessories in environmentally and socio-economically sustainable manners. It is also about sustainable patterns of consumption and use, which necessitate shifts in individual attitudes and behaviour.

And the glaring question remains, are we willing to make modifications in our everyday life to bring about impactful changes? Some of the most interesting trends of 2020 are:

PRODUCTS MADE FROM ALGAE

Algae are neither an animal nor fungi. It is a greenish slimy and slippery plant that floats in water and serves its primary function as habitats for various water-species including tadpole. A group of people think harvesting algae is one of the effective ways to creating zero-waste sustainable fabric. Bloom-algae-technology can help make shoes soles using them. Kanye West recently shared a new shoe prototype from Yeezy Fashion made from algae form.

FIBERS MADE FROM PINEAPPLE LEAVES

Pin, a Spanish word for Pineapple, can be combined with other fibres to be woven into fabrics. Pina-fabric is supposed to be lightweight and absolutely environment friendly. Not just garments, apparently we will see footwear and handbags made from that. Pinatex is a company which leads the industry in the development of this material.

INCREASED USE OF ORGANIC MATERIALS

There is a strong interest in global markets to push for organic crops for the fashion industry. Materials sourced organically is grown in a healthy soil, providing healthy working environment to the workers and small scale farmers. Along with organic cotton the popularity of hemp derived from bamboo has also jumped dramatically.

SHIFTING TOWARDS MINIMALISM &SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE OF CLOTHING RENTALS WEBSITES

Due to widespread awareness campaigns of ways the fashion industry  is causing damages to the environment, entire eco system across the globe, people are slowly learning to become cautious on their own; they are not overflowing the wardrobe. There is a steady shift towards quality garments from quantity. And, instead of shopping s for something new, people are showing a noticeable interest towards renting of garments. A lot of these rental garment websites are growing at an exponential rate. It is reported (Ref. The Economics Times) that this business is growing at an astonishing CAGR of 10.6 % YoY, Indian fashion rental market is touching Rs 12,000 Cr, with new companies such as Stage 3, Liberent and Rent A Closet helping it to expand. Also, as the awareness is growing the stigma attached to renting clothing seems to be declining.