The Glittering Darkness Behind Fashion Faux Pas

“Buy less, choose well, make it last.”

Isn’t it striking that these words as exemplified by the famous fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood would leave such a felicitous impact on the environment?

As the world is busy rushing over the clothing trends made by celebrities at the global level during cultural extravaganzas, what we have been overlooking are the various matters of concern that the fashion industry has been producing for the past so many years by engendering clothing.

The fashion industry has a disastrous impact on the environment and with the industry growing daily, so is the environmental damage and the carbon footprint it is cultivating. In most of the countries in which garments are manufactured, untreated toxic wastewater from the textiles factories is dumped directly into the rivers. This wastewater contains toxic substances that are profoundly deleterious for the aquatic life and the health of the million people living by the river banks. The contamination additionally reaches the sea and ineluctably spreads around the globe. Moreover, only 15% of our clothes are recycled or donated which also gradually land up in landfills where they slowly release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to climate change. Thus, there are several compelling reasons to embrace sustainable fashion in India.

Ethical and sustainable fashion is an approach towards sourcing, manufacturing and designing attire which maximizes the benefits to the industry and society at large and at the same time minimizes the impacts on the environment. Consequently, it does not commence from manufacturing apparel rather from the cotton fields and ends in the consumer's wardrobe. 

While the road towards sustainability is not facile, it is now critical that we all learn what qualifies as authentically sustainable and ethical fashion. While exclusively buying locally would have a negative impact on the life-sustaining production chain of cotton in various parts of the world, it may help change the way the global clothing chains function. “Thrifting” also seemed akin to a simple way of getting inexpensive and unique apparel initially. But its sudden prominence during the global pandemic has helped people discover the positive consequences it has on the world.

In alignment with various businesses that have been working towards sustainable fashion, one such small enterprise is Vasan, the very first initiative that was undertaken by Enactus DSC. Project Vasan endeavours to provide employment opportunities to visually impaired and socially marginalized women through skill development in the art of embroidery and stitching. An innovational socio-entrepreneurial business model, it strives to conserve essential resources by reusing discarded and tattered pieces of cloth and converting it into useful and trendy products. The project has been running successfully for over 5 years now, positively impacting more lives through its operation, every day.

With capitalism seeming inescapable, and fast fashion brands catering to our every clothing whim, we need to address the ethical and environmental issues of the fashion industry. Instead of waiting for the fashion industry to create more havoc in the environment, we need to take the first step as a consumer to make eco-friendly choices and even edify the suppliers to switch to sustainable ways of business. Garnering support from the public in pushing for more sustainable practices and initiatives is definitely the desideratum of the hour, but what holds major power in driving the reformation of the fashion industry is the enforcement of strong social policies like thrifting. The exploitation of resources currently is at a great swing, and therefore acclimating to sustainable fashion should be our highest priority.