JD Institute of Fashion Technology
How to Develop a Sustainable Fashion

Sustainability, in the modern world, isn’t a trend but is a way of living. People are shifting to organic, green and eco-friendly ways of living and so is the booming fashion industry. The demand for eco-friendly products is rising in the market and so the fashion brands are putting all their efforts to meet the public demands. Today’s youth is more serious than ever for environmental sustainability. They make sure that the products they use don’t harm the earth and nature. While dealing with sustainability in the fashion industry, the manufacturers have to look into different aspects including the type of fabric, dyes used, raw materials, textile type and many more.

Here are some tips that will help you get started on your sustainable fashion line and help you while taking the design and manufacturing process:

Don’t Compromise on fashion or sustainability  

If you are willing to start a sustainable brand of clothing, make sure that you adopt all the means of sustainability while manufacturing the products. You most certainly must not ignore the needs of the consumers. Just don’t claim to be sustainable but try to incorporate eco-friendly ways in the production process of your products. Focus on the following aspects and assess whether your products are environment friendly.

• Waste generated while manufacturing. Is waste biodegradable?

• What is the fabric used?

• Techniques of production that could help reduce waste generation

• How much energy does the production process consume

• How to adopt a water conservation approach?

You must also keep in mind that your brand is a fashion brand and it must meet the current fashion styles and trends of people. In order to make the product’s eco friendly, it wouldn’t be wise to compromise on its design.

Choose products that are sustainable

The key to a successful sustainable brand is using natural raw materials in the manufacturing process.

• Select the right textile that is durable as well as good looking. Use natural fabrics like organic cotton, silk, wool instead of synthetic fibres. Natural fabrics don’t harm the environment and are biodegradable.

• Select natural colours or dyes instead of chemical hues. Nowadays colours derived from flowers, vegetables are used to dye the fabric.

• Certify your product as organic from a reputable well-known organisation for the better trust of customers

Take a Waste reduction approach

• A large amount of fabric is waste and becomes useless while pattern making. To reduce waste generation, think of designs that require less cutting of fabric yet looks stylish and elegant.

• Choose a repeat pattern for textiles so that the entire piece of fabric can be judiciously used.

• Think of ways to reuse and recycle the waste generated during the manufacturing process.

Ethical Manufacturing of sustainable fashion

The sustainable fashion brands must look into the betterment of labourers working in the fashion industry. The socio-economic aspects of working must be taken into consideration. Ethical fashion involves fair trade and good working conditions of workers involved in manufacturing sustainable fashion. The workers must have basic human rights and should not be exploited by any means in the fashion industry.

Ethical brands must be aware of the labour working conditions and must ensure that they are provided with a safe workspace. The workers should be fairly paid and should not be discriminated against.

Stay true to your Brand

The fashion brand must not mislead the customers by any false product description. Many fashion brands claim to be eco friendly but the reality is too ugly. Nowadays, with social media reaching even the remote corners of the world, it is difficult to cheat consumers. With rising consumer awareness, it is not wise for brands to falsely claim their standards. Make sure you are true to the essence and motto of your brand. If you claim to be 100% sustainable, make sure you have used all the raw materials that are natural and eco friendly. Your brand value is on your shoulders.

Sustainable fashion is a tough job and designers need to have an in-depth understanding of sustainability to design eco-friendly garments. If you are interested in designing sustainable clothing, you will need proper training and experience in the field. Take formal training in fashion designing from JD institute of fashion technology to gain knowledge about the fashion industry and learn the skills required for becoming a successful fashion designer. Pursue a fashion designing course that will help you design sustainable garments.