The word “conscious & Fashion” together, are enough to describe the need of the hour, which is the sustainable factor in the current times we live in. Plastic bag ban or separated waste disposals are not just the only way to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Fashion is the third most polluting industry of the world and thus awareness about conscious fashion is extremely important. So, what is conscious fashion? Well I have my own definition; I call it “Fashion of ethics”. Any fashion which is handmade, which uses less machinery and electricity, is artisan made, has heritage value, is sustainable and  eco-friendly, made out of organic raw materials, gives employment opportunities and provides fair wages to its labour, falls under the umbrella of Conscious Fashion. So, basically a win-win situation for all in the chain of a product.

The common misconception– People assume that handmade means hand-stitched, and they argue that if a motor operated sewing machine is used or an electric iron is used to finish the product how one can call it sustainable or eco-friendly. Also the use of chemicals in dyes is a questionable matter for many conscious fashion consumers. Conscious fashion has never claimed to be 100 percent organic however it does promotes use of means which has a low impact on the environment. For example, many traditional handblockprinters like Ajrakh, Bagh, Dabu claim to use only vegetable dyes. However, it is generally 80-90% of vegetable dyes and a small percentage of napthol or VAT dyes is used to either achieve a certain colour shade as the colour palette of vegetable dyes is limited or to fix the colour or improve the colour brightness. I feel this much dilution is and must be allowed as certain chemicals are equally important. Else, the colour would extensively bleed or fade in no time.

Consumer fall out – People doubt the 100 percent purity in eco-friendly products as there are no set authentication marks available in India like Handloom Mark and Silk mark which can provide a user with a surety of an organic product. Many brands claim to be in sustainable business model. But how can one understand the difference between a powerloom & handloom? Or whether a print is digital or hand blockprinted?

How to identify a sustainable product – It is simple to identify, the yarn must be organic like cotton, silk, linen, bananan silk, bamboo fibre – anything out of a natural source. And then the treatment of yarn must be via handloom and dyes used are mostly vegetable dyes with no or less use of chemicals. Synthetic yarns, screen or digital prints, powerloom, chemical dyes, computer embroideries, 100 % machine made products are a complete no-no for conscious fashion. A powerloom product has a very good finish and dense weave. The kinar or selvedge of the fabric is of high quality finish at the wrong side or back side of the fabric. The feel of the fabric is also not natural. A digital print generally never penetrates the back side of fabric and the look of it is more graphical. Therefore too perfect means too may use of resources and machines. That is why people prefer handmade products as few imperfections are its real beauty and exclusivity.

My Take : The conscious fashion movement is small and is evolving everyday. Consumer today are more driven towards organic products rather than mass produced. It can be difficult to achieve a 100 percent organic product; a tad bit of technology is always welcome. Using less energy sources consciously is a great step towards fashion sustainability.