Sustainable fashion no longer has to mean a wardrobe full of beige linen, oversized silhouettes and clothes that look like they belong exclusively at a yoga retreat. Thankfully, the conversation around eco-friendly fashion is getting much more interesting and much more wearable.
From organic cotton and linen to hemp, Tencel and recycled fibres, fashion is increasingly experimenting with materials that can reduce reliance on virgin resources and make a wardrobe more considered. Even luxury fashion is investing in new bio-based textiles, leather alternatives and recyclable materials, while India is also pushing initiatives around organic fibres, safer chemicals, recycling and traceability.
But here is the slightly annoying part: not everything labelled “eco-friendly” is automatically sustainable.
A fabric's environmental impact depends on much more than whether it sounds natural. How the fibre is grown or produced, how it is dyed and finished, how long the garment lasts and what happens to it at the end of its life all matter. Even recycled synthetics have trade-offs, while a durable garment worn for years can sometimes be a more responsible choice than constantly replacing supposedly “green” clothes.
