Everyone gasps as you glide into a room in the dress of your dreams. It falls perfectly against your body with the vibrant colors and elegant fabric making you sparkle. The attention makes you glow and feel confident from the inside. That is the power of fashion. It is a significant part of our cultures and societies, but at what expense?
With the rise of fast fashion, everyone wants a new dress for every occasion, ending in mounds of clothes worn once or twice and discarded, left to accumulate in landfills. While having new outfits can be seen as glamorous, it is incredibly damaging to the environment. It requires about 2,700 liters of fresh water to create a single cotton t-shirt, from the water to produce textiles, grow the cotton, and manufacture the shirt. Also, over 700,000 microplastic fibers get released from polyester clothes, which have become a staple of fast fashion, negatively impacting the health of local people, animals, and marine life. The fashion industry is estimated to be responsible for about 10% of global carbon emissions. This rate is higher than that of international flights and maritime shipping combined. On top of that, only 1% of used clothes get recycled into new ones.
These trends in fast fashion have only contributed to the growing instances of consumerism in our world. Every day, people fall prey to carefully crafted marketing strategies designed to increase sales by convincing consumers to buy more clothes than they could ever do justice to. Despite trying to be mindful, many of us cannot resist the idea of online shopping. While it may be challenging to reverse the fast fashion trends overnight, we can begin taking steps in the right direction.
Ahmedabad-based designer Srushti Patil recently presented CIRCULARITY. In general terms, circular fashion refers to a closed-loop system that aims to reduce waste and maximize the lifespan of clothes. She works with various fashion startups to transform their visions into sustainable reality. She crafts her pieces with meticulous attention but intentional materials, such as mal cotton, plant fibers, coconut leathers, and biodegradable plant-based dyes. While these dyes may require a little more effort and may not end the same as artificial colors, they have an unmatched elegance and go a long way in protecting the planet. Srusthi Patil advocates for including all types of materials in the fashion industry but requests that every designer be mindful of their work process to minimize ecological harm. Her designs were showcased at NIFT Gandhinagar when she and her fellow designers focused on portraying environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
In conclusion, the fashion sector of our economy is growing and diversifying rapidly, but with it comes an enormous growth in production pollution and waste materials, which darken our planet. With sustainable initiatives like those of Srushti Patil, we can continue to explore countless ideas and designs without stressing the environment.
Works Cited
“The Impact of Textile Production and Waste on the Environment (Infographics): Topics: European Parliament.” Topics | European Parliament, www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographics. Accessed 12 July 2024.
“Nift Gandhinagar Participated in Ahmedabad Fashion Week ’24.” Press Information Bureau, pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2023535. Accessed 12 July 2024.
“What Is Circular Fashion?” The Sustainable Fashion Forum, The Sustainable Fashion Forum, 10 Dec. 2023, www.thesustainablefashionforum.com/pages/what-is-circular-fashion#:~:text=Circular%20fashion%20refers%20to%20an,lifespan%20of%20clothing%20and%20textiles.