Mumbai, July 26 (IANS) The fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world. At a time when the climate crisis is a real issue, token gestures toward sustainability are not enough. For the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Indian fashion’s elite platform, sustainability remains restricted to a single day in an otherwise opulent week of glitzy and luxurious showcases.
A day of “sustainability” at a fashion week may sound like the right step, however, for many in the fashion world, it feels just more like a “tick-box” exercise than a “sincere commitment.”
Thinking out loud as to why sustainable fashion remains a side dish among the fashion celebrations considering responsible styles too can be tagged as couture.
“Yes, sustainable fashion totally deserves its own proper fashion week. One day just isn’t enough to really talk about everything that goes into it — from ethical sourcing and fair wages to eco-friendly materials,” Deepthi Potheni- Founder Deep Thee told IANS.
Smaller, upcoming brands that genuinely care about sustainability often get “pushed to the side by the big names.”
“They need their own space to shine,” Potheni feels.
However, having a separate Sustainable Fashion Week could really make a big difference, Potheni said.
“But it needs proper backing, funding, and a real change in how the fashion world thinks. Right now, giving it just one day during LFW feels more like ticking a box than actually caring about the issue,” Potheni added.
The label founder said that “putting more focus on sustainable fashion could also push big brands to step up and start offering more eco-friendly options.”
“A full week dedicated to it could really change how we think about fashion — and make doing better the new normal.”
National Award-winning designer Gaurang Shah strongly believes sustainable fashion be couture.
“Couture is about excellence, about something that is made with skill, intention, and deep respect for detail. A Jamdani saree can take weeks or months to weave. It is done entirely by hand, motif by motif, without shortcuts. That, to me, is the highest form of couture, born in the hands of our weavers, not in factories,” Shah told IANS.
Shah strongly stressed that couture does not only belong to “glossy surfaces, it also lives in the looms of our villages.”
For Shah, who largely works with jamdani weaves, sustainable fashion is not a modern discovery.
“It is something we have lived with for generations. When I work with Jamdani, I am not simply designing garments, I am continuing a way of life that respects the earth, the artisan, and the art. The process is slow, intentional, and rooted in dignity.”
For the celebrated designer, sustainable fashion comes from sustaining traditional forms of art, weaves, and our heritage.
“It has to be pure, even if it is modernized and presented in new ways, its soul must remain untouched. When we protect our handwoven textiles, we are not just preserving fabric, we are preserving stories, livelihoods, and identity.”
India is one of the largest producers of textile in the world and yet hosts fewer than five major sustainable fashion shows annually, which includes just a day of celebration in FDCI’s celebrated Fashion Week.
Shah too feels that a single day at a fashion week is not enough to honour the diversity of sustainable practices in India.
“A single day is not enough to honour the depth and diversity of sustainable practices in India. Our crafts, especially handlooms, represent true sustainability, they use natural materials, local knowledge, and human hands.”
“They don’t follow seasons, they follow time and tradition.”
The pressures of commercial fashion is what is stopping it from becoming a full week.
Shah said: “What is stopping it from becoming a full week is the pressure of commercial fashion. Handcrafted work takes time, and in a system driven by speed and immediacy, slow fashion often gets overshadowed.”
“But if we shift our lens to value process over pace, there is immense richness in what we already have.”
Mamta Reddy from Kalamcreations says sustainable fashion is not a moment, it’s a commitment. She understands that for Kalamkari it takes time.
According to the Fourth All India Handloom Census, there are over 36 lakh weavers and allied workers in the handloom sector.
Sustainable fashion deserves a couture tag because of its exceptional craftsmanship, innovation, and intentional design.
And just like haute couture, sustainable fashion prioritises quality over quantity.
Reddy too strongly stresses that sustainable fashion can be couture.
“Yes, if couture means something that is made with care, by hand, and can’t be repeated, then Kalamkari is that. Every design is painted freehand, so each piece is different. It’s not printed, not traced, and never mass-produced. That makes it one of a kind,” Reddy told IANS.
–IANS
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