Sustainable fashion is the buzzword now.

But unlike many buzzwords, it is about more than a trend, pointing to a whole way of life. 

It is the decision to make clothes in a fashion that is better for the environment. At the other end, for consumers, it is the opposite of fast fashion, of limitless buying: the philosophy of few clothes. You buy less, you appreciate what you have more. 
 

We also have to remember that after oil, the fashion industry is the second largest polluter of the environment. Sustainable fashion would make a product more sensitive to what it is contributing to the environment in its entire package: material, design, manufacturing process and consumption. 

However, since it is more easy to control the first three, and you have to begin at the beginning, the stress in the sustainable fashion industry is on these. Especially on materials.  

Natural fibres are obtained from nature and are not petroleum-based. They are of two types: cellulose or plant fibres, and protein or animal fibres. 
 

Cellullose fibres include cotton, the widest-grown crop in the category, jute, flax and bamboo. Experimentation is going on with fibres from fruits such as banana and pineapple. 

Sustainable fashion has entered the mass market, globally and in India. In March, the Aditya Birla Group showcased Liva, a cellulose fabric, at the Amazon Fashion Week in New Delhi.   

Liva, which its makers claim is a soft and fluid fabric, is made from the pulp of trees that have been planted for such use. In effect, this practice leads to more trees being planted than being cut down, says the brand. 
 

“The acceptability and demand of sustainable fabric has grown immensely in the last couple of years. Fashion is now renewable and biodegradable. Therefore, brands are open to offering a responsibly sourced fabric that provides sustainability and creates different garments in the marketplace,” says Manohar Samuel, head of marketing, Birla Cellulose. 

This month Liva showed at Amazon India Fashion Week in New Delhi. Ace designers Anju Modi, Eshaa Amiin, Gaurav Jai Gupta, Nida Mahmood, Shruti Sancheti and Schulen Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks created garments with Liva (see pictures), on an evening themed ‘An Ode to the Creators’.