Ethical fashion rules the ramp

The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2011 spring/summer held recently in New Delhi, focused on

going green environment-friendly clothing, which is the new buzz in fashion circle these days. Thanks to the international markets craving for ethical fashions, most Indian designers focused on traditional weaving techniques and natural fabrics as part of their collection.

Designer Samant Chauhan stuck to the natural tone of the ‘Ahimsa silk’ from Hyderabad’s Kusuma Rajaiah although he felt that the green trend still seems to be a fledgling one in India. “Top designers are still doing leather, but market demands might soon change that. The latest collection has interesting designs, which everyone seems to love,” he said.

Wendell Rodericks was one of the first Indian designers to begin working with organic fabrics and colors and his new collection The Kunbi Tribe used sustainable cotton and silk dyed with colors indigenous to the Goan community. This collection is the fruit of many years of research and a catalyst to revive the art of Kunbi weaving in the state of Goa. Since July 2009, Rodricks has begun a grassroot campaign to revive the Kunbi sari in a designer avtaar.

“Designers are afraid that the natural dye will stink, but this is not true. However, the process can be slightly longer,” he adds. Sourcing weavers and looms was a daunting task and his collection is a celebration of revivalism while expertly mixing cotton and silk, woven and knitted textures.

The truth is that green fashion is the latest trend sweeping catwalks in London and New York. Big names like Stella McCartney who are pioneering non-polluting fashion, and designers across the fashion capitals are doing the same. Other international labels such as Banana Republic, Guess, and H&M follow international fashion trends and have launched green lines alongside their regular ones.