Archana Kochchar showcased a collection of 50 ensembles dedicated to Beti, a movement against female foeticide; (above) an umbrella created by Nida Mahmood to support the cause of Bollywood’s poster artists

Did you think that India’s best fashion designers are only looking at healthy bottomlines that their designs can generate? Well think again, as fashion gurus are showing equal devotion to marrying fashion with social responsibility.

So, designer Anita Dongre doesn’t just have her next collection on her mind. The designer is committed to the cause of green fashion through her signature brands AND, Grassroot and Global Desi. She has partnered with Shop For Change, an NGO working to promote the concept of fair trade in India. “The NGO offers better deals to farmers so that they can earn more money,” she says. The partnership entails her buying bulk cotton from certified cotton vendors at a fair price.

Social responsibility has become the buzzword for a handful of designers. Some are obsessed with going green while others are reviving traditional Indian crafts or lending a helping hand to artisans at the grassroot level.

It was Ritu Kumar who first showed interest in reviving traditional Indian crafts like block-prints, chikankari, zardozi and kalamkari. And more recently, it’s been Ritu Beri who believes in animal rights and is tying fashion sensibilities with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

(From top) Anita Dongre has partnered with Shop For Change, an NGO working to promote the concept of fair trade; earlier this year Aki Narula designed a multi-pocketed tote bag for the Bell Bajao campaign

Now, Aki Narula, Lecoanet Hemant and Narendra Kumar Ahmed have taken a step towards sensitising people about women’s rights in India through the Bell Bajao campaign that rolled off in January this year. The campaign, conceptualised by Breakthrough, a Delhi-based NGO, roped in the three designers to join the fight against domestic violence. “The idea was that men must ring the doorbell of any home where they think a woman is being subjected to domestic violence,’’ says Sonali Khan, country director, Breakthrough, India.

While Narula designed a multi-pocketed tote bag embellished with bells of various shapes, Narendra Kumar came up with a unisex T-shirt and Hemant Sagar designed a T-shirt with the print of a hennaed hand. Creations by these three were then retailed at Muse, a high-end fashion store in Mumbai. However, the NGO has been making replicas of the products and selling them to raise money.

(From top) The fabrics used by Nitin Bal Chauhan are made by weavers of Chamba, Kullu and Kinnaur; (below) Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have designed a five-and-a-half feet tall elephant to support the cause of elepant conservation

Archana Kochchar recently created a line of 50 garments exclusively for Beti (girl child), a social movement against female foeticide started by television personalities Anu and Shashi Ranjan. The collection was showcased at a fashion show with celebrities walking the ramp. One of the creations was auctioned and the proceeds given to the NGO. The rest was retailed at the designers’ Mumbai store. Kochchar says: “Being fashion icons, I felt that it was time we stood up against this social evil.”

Then there are others working full-time to revive traditional Indian crafts. Designer Nitin Bal Chauhan is working with the Kullu weavers of Himachal Pradesh to help get them recognition. He says: “We’re training them to use their designs in a contemporary manner.” The fabrics for his collections are woven by the weavers of Chamba, Kullu and Kinnaur. Apart from designing jackets in wool and colourful headgear, Chauhan has a range of colourful scarves, belts and mufflers, Chamba chappals and gladiators made out of treated leather.

Designer Nida Mahmood too is equally concerned about the vanishing art of hand-painted Bollywood posters. “Poster artists went out of work 10 years ago and my endeavour is to bring their art back into circulation,” she says.

Mahmood has set up a trust, New India Bioscope Company, with five poster artists from Delhi and two from Meerut. She says: “About 75 per cent of the revenue from the sale of poster-art products are channelised for their welfare.” The products retailed from The Park Hotel, Delhi and the Attic store in Mumbai include kitschy hand-painted furniture, bags, coasters, jackets and umbrellas with filmy one-liners.

Meanwhile, designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are supporting the cause of global elephant conservation by participating in Mark Shand’s Elephant Parade in London (between May 3 and June 10, 2010). It’s a charity event where 250 fibre glass elephants have been decorated by artists and designers from all over and installed at sites throughout London to raise awareness. Of the 250 creations, the 20 best elephants will be auctioned at Sotheby’s for charity.

The duo has created a rani pink, caparisoned elephant. Says Abu: “We highlighted our country’s unique tradition by using bright colours and embroidery.”

Hemant Sagar sums it: “Unfortunately, in India fashion is usually seen as a money-making exercise — more reason for designers to contribute towards social issues.”