Fashion

10+ Online Stores to Shop and Celebrate a Sustainable Diwali

3 Comments / By Sharayu Mishal

Celebrate a Responsible, Eco friendly, and a Sustainable Diwali!

What according to you defines Diwali? May be the lights, shopping, ethnic outfits, Rangolis, or delicacies, etc. Your answers might be different, but we can all agree that Diwali truly brings along a wholesome festive vibe, doesn’t it?

What I love the most is the shopping and gifting aspect of it! It’s the one time of the year when the expenses do not take you on a guilt trip. You worry less and celebrate more. But while you’re at it, how about a responsible celebration this time? How about this time we celebrate a sustainable Diwali?

Click here to get straight to the point.

Why a Sustainable Diwali?

Although Diwali is a festival of love and light, environmental concerns also rise. I’m not going to lecture about air pollution, it’s 2020, and hence self-explanatory. We often discuss about fire crackers to be the ultimate issue, but there’s an underestimated pollution we forget- Fashion. As the festival spirit calls for shopping the best ethnic wear, it’s a profit season for the fast fashion brands. This is why a sustainable Diwali celebration matters. So let’s talk more about shopping that is both, ethically and environmentally safe.

With Diwali right around the corner, you might be on a shopping spree or in search of the perfect family presents. And since you’re here, I can say you are looking to make an eco-conscious buy. Thus, I’ve created this list of 10+ conscious online stores. These will help you celebrate a responsible and a sustainable Diwali.

To make your life easy, the stores are divided into 3 categories:

1. For clothing

2. For Jewelry (click here to jump right into it)

3. For overall shopping or gifting (click here and jump right into it).

Disclaimer: The following list is in no particular order of preference.

Shop/Gift Eco-friendly Ethnic Wear

1. Nicobar

Nicobar belongs to the slow fashion bandwagon. Their philosophy is to make products that are: long lasting, not trend-driven, inspired by natural materials, and influenced by the culture we grew up in.

The above collage is only a gist of what Nicobar has to offer.

2. Sundarii

Sundarii, as you can see, has ‘sundar’ (beautiful) collection of sarees, doesn’t it? These are ethically sourced and sustainably crafted. Keeping fast fashion away and reviving the Indian heritage of handicrafts, Sundarii designs conscious apparels that you’ll cherish for years to come.

3. Okhai

Okhai is yet another handicraft-based apparel brand that stands tall due to the hardworking force of rural artisans from across India. Supported by the Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development (TCSRD), Okhai does well in expressing the rural way of life through their beautifully handcrafted products.

To know 10 more sustainable fashion brands, check out my previous blog:

https://ecopurple.co/sustainable-fashion-brands-for-you/

Shop/Gift Eco-friendly Jewelry

1. Vie

Vie, meaning ‘life’ in French is true to it’s name as the brand is giving wasted, rejected buttons from factories a new life! What’s interesting is that Vie makes use of natural buttons only, and not the ones that are synthetic, plastic, or polyester.

2. Papermelon

Trashy treasures! Papermelon literally ‘crafts’ jewelry out of paper stash and I’m all for it. Amazing to know that each piece is handmade with love and creativity. Be it a brand new paper, or an old newspaper, Papermelon brings the best out of both!

3. Eurumme

With sustainability and conscious production at the forefront, Eurumme has an eccentric line of jewelry. Eurumme handcrafts imperfectly perfect jewelries with metal and semi precious stones through the technique of plating and electroplating. Each piece is unique as no two pieces are same.

Shop/Gift Eco-friendly Diwali Presents

1. Brown Living

This one’s a personal favourite! Brown Living is an online marketplace dedicated to sustainable products. If you’re trying to live a plastic-free, sustainable, or a zero waste life, then don’t waste a second and check out this online store!

2. Bare Necessities Zero Waste

Bare Nessecities Zero Waste is yet another store for you to make a sustainable purchase. When looking for a thoughtful gift, how about a zero waste gift bundle? This can help your loved ones have a less environmental impact which in turn will bring along a feel-good vibe!

3. The Happy Turtle

Promoting a life that is free of plastic is the cornerstone of The Happy Turtle. The team is dedicated to providing eco-friendly alternatives to plastic infused products. This pretty lantern, the bamboo speaker, and the plastic-free travel kit are some of the best options to gift your dear ones and yourself, too!

4. Zerowasteshop India

The name says it all! Beginning a zero waste lifestyle is much needed in current times and stores like these help in making a zero waste swap in nearly every which way possible. From kitchen and bathroom essentials to home decor, lifestyle, and travel essentials, this Zero waste shop has an alternative for all!

Celebrating a sustainable Diwali will take you closer to our planet. You will end up feeling joyful, yet proud, for you took a stand for your home – the Earth.

I hope you celebrate a safe, happy, and a sustainable Diwali!

Temple Waste Recycled into Natural Dyes

Fast Fashion Industries need to take notes on Natural Dyes

As an Indian, I am very well aware of how important religious ceremonies are to us. Be it any religion, Indians love to celebrate their devotion to god. And following this devotion, there comes the immense offering.

When it comes to seeking blessings from a deity, Indians will spare no efforts. From peace offering some cash into the charity box, to feeding the poor, we will do anything for Bhagwan ka Ashirwad! (God’s blessings).

However, among all such expressions of thanksgiving, floral offerings remain the authentic ritual. Visiting a Mandir (temple) and not offering flowers?

via GIPHY

Thousands of people visit temples every day. The amount of flowers received is huge and so is the waste. This waste is either dumped, discarded into the rivers/seas, or composted (if someone’s wise enough).

So is there a solution to this? There is. Just stop littering! Devotion should not come at the cost of nature.

However, India does have various communities that recycle temple waste. Let’s take a look at one such community that is making natural dyes out of the floral waste.

Natural Dyes By Adiv Pure Nature

Located in Andheri, Mumbai, Adiv Pure Nature is a group of thoughtful advocates of nature. The team led by Rupa Trivedi aims to popularize the use of natural dyes in textiles. This is to create a fashion chain that complements the circular economy.

Understanding the aftereffect of temple waste, Adiv gave birth to the ‘Temple Project’. The team says,

“The Temple Project aims to create a dye palette that is 100% based on recycled temple waste. And applying it in a scientific manner to achieve beautiful textiles with excellent fastness properties.”

Since 2008, Adiv Pure Nature is collecting floral waste from the famous Shri Siddhi Vinayak Temple of Mumbai. Vinod Mahadeshwar, a diligent worker at the temple collects about 150 kilograms of floral offering every week. The collection is then delivered to Rupa’s workshop at Andheri. The best part is, Siddhi Vinayak Temple is doing this for free.

Did You Know?

Shri Siddhi Vinayak Temple is often visited by more than 30 thousand people each day. The number increases to 1 lakh on Tuesdays (Tuesday is specifically dedicated to Lord Ganesha). Imagine the volume of the offerings!

Natural Dyes - The Procedure

Once the floral waste reaches the workshop, the flowers are first dried. The team works with fresh and powdered flowers as well.

For dyeing, the artisans first note the weight of the fabric. With reference to this weight, they determine the volume of rest of the ingredients.

The fabric is then boiled with calculated proportions of water and alum. Once boiled, the artisans sprinkle the petals over the fabric, fold it, and steam it. After this procedure, the fabric is twitched such that the petals fall off, washed, and dried. And just like that, the cloth is hand-dyed!

Adiv creates amazing natural dyes with a variety of ingredients. This include marigolds, roses, coconut husks, hibiscus, onions, pomegranate, tea, etc among others. The craftsmen then tailor the dyed fabric into beautiful scarves and other clothing items.

What I Find Impressive is..

After making the dyes, Adiv further sends the floral waste for composting. The right disposal of this floral waste is necessary as they often contain pesticides. And if they’re discarded into rivers, the pesticides can pollute the water and further harm the ecosystems. Thus, the team does it’s best to ensure eco-conscious practices.

Another impressive thing is that the artisans at Adiv are all self-taught, and not to forget, their products are handstitched. Moreover, most of the working staff comes from challenging backgrounds. Adiv has given them the opportunity to have a profession. Their skillset is being used for the right reasons. Thanks to their wise leader Rupa!

All in all, Rupa Trivedi’s efforts through Adiv Pure Nature is a way towards a greener and a cleaner future. Textile industries or the “fast fashion” industries need to take some serious notes from Adiv.

India also has other organizations who work with similar raw materials. There’s ‘Phool‘, found by Ankit Agarwal and Karan Rastogi, who create Florafoam – an eco-friendly thermocol! Phool also produce incense sticks and cones, vermicompost, and organic Gulaal. All this out India’s temple waste!

Smart entrepreneurs such as Rupa, Karan, and Ankit make sustainability sound so effortless. And we Indians while expressing devotion, must show simultaneous care towards nature as well.

Responsible citizenship towards India and our planet must go hand in hand.

10+ Best Sustainable Fashion Brands in India

2 Comments / By Sharayu Mishal

Sustainable Fashion - A New Trend for the Future Nay, Today!

Did you know that the level of CO2 emitted by textile industries is almost equal to that released by automobile industries?

With changing lifestyles, and seasons, we often find ourselves within new fashion trends. We enjoy incorporating the latest trends into our style statement, because why not?

But, what do you do when the outfits are not trendy anymore, or more naturally when you grow out of them? In Desi families, clothes usually get passed on to our younger siblings, which is a good option. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as most of the fabric waste often gets trashed. Fashion industries themselves contribute a lot to this pollution. Which is why today we are in dire need of sustainable fashion choices.

With fast fashion trends, sustainable clothing (slow fashion) is yet to gain popularity. However, we do have quite a few homegrown sustainable fashion brands in India. And to your aid, Ecopurple has curated a list of a few of the many brands crafting green fashion. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Please note that the following list is in no particular order of preference; the idea is to promote and acknowledge their work.

1. Adah

Adah, founded by Leesha Agarwal, a conscious earthling cum a talented fashion designer, is an ethical, zero waste, and a handloom fashion brand. It is a fashion house that truly loves their fabrics, the makers, and the colorful dyes that make it beautiful.

On experiencing the aftermath of fast fashion firsthand, Leesha decided to make a difference and so, led to the foundation of Adah. Here’s everything that is good about this sustainable fashion brand:

The team sources each piece of fabric directly from the hardworking weavers, not allowing any middlemen to participate. This helps in ensuring that the weavers are paid what they deserves.
The environmental quotient is taken care of by repurposing/ recycling/ and upcycling all kinds of fabric scraps into diaries, wallets, scrunchies, headbands, earrings, etc. The tags, too, are made using recycled tetra packs, adding to their concern for the environment. Adah also refrains from the use of plastic.
The skilled tailors, who craft the elegant garments for Adah, are given their rightful credits. You will get to know who made your outfit, a wonderful way to honour the efforts of the maker and also empower them.

For both and women, Adah is one of the affordable fashion brands out there. One must check-out their outfits as they’re not only aesthetic but also sustainably made.

2. SUI

This women’s fashion brand from New Delhi, found by Mahima Gujral, is on its way to help pave the way for green clothing.

Sui crafts conscious apparels and accessories, such the environmental impact is low. How?

They prefer working with durable and anti-bacterial fabrics such as hemp. Use Organic cotton that is GOTS certified, and other sustainable materials.

Nowadays, about 60% of fabric fibers are synthetics made from fossil fuels; this makes it hard to decay. Hence, the choice of raw material matters.

Sui uses herbal dyes to pigment their clothing; and recycles the wastewater in the process.
The team makes use of recycled packaging and upcycles the leftover fabric waste as well.
Following a sustainable work ethic, SUI also partners with the NGO – Women Weave. The women in this NGO contribute to the weaving of handspun home fabrics. They practice conscious activities that need less to no electricity. Thus, save energy.

3. DOODLAGE

The brainchild of Kriti Tula – Doodlage is a recognized eco-fashion house set in New Delhi. The brand creates fashion outfits and accessories by recycling and upcycling fabric trash. The toxic after-effects of the fashion industry led to the foundation of Doodlage.

Doodlage collects surplus of defective or stained fabric scraps from textile manufacturers. They even collect the leftover apparel scraps from the garment factories.

From the fabric waste of their own, they create wallets; laptop bags; accessories; and notebooks.
Ditching the plastic, they recycle the fabric waste into paper for their packagings.

Needless to say, Doodlage is doing its best to achieve zero waste production. And by all the efforts that they’re making, the team is bound to succeed.Moreover, Doodlage also presented their collection in the Lakme fashion week of 2019.

You know they’re good when even Lakme supports them.

4. NO NASTIES

Vegan gang, this one’s for you! Based in Goa, No Nasties has been in the business since 2011, creating outfits for men, women, and kids. They design outfits made out of fair trade, organic, and vegan raw materials.

GOTS ✔️

Peta ✔️

Fair Trade ✔️

Impressive right? But wait, there’s more. To add to their green efforts, No Nasties offers plastic-free packaging. The team makes use of drawstring bags and recycled cardboard boxes instead. The effort doesn’t end here. With the “Buy One – Get Tree” program, No Nasties has been planting trees to negate their carbon emissions. You make a purchase and the team plants a tree, as simple as that! Thus, it’s safe to say that No Nasties is one cohesive sustainable fashion brand.

5. RENGE

Renge is a sustainable fashion brand that offers beautiful clothing options for women. Found by Sheena Uppal, they create conscious apparels keeping the fashion quotient intact.

What makes Renge an ethical brand?

They use a surplus of fabrics from factories that follow strict social and environmental standards.
The artisans dye fabrics in Creative Dyeing & Printing, which is Oeko-Tex certified.
The team works in tune with Hemla Embroidery, which is Sedex certified.
Both factories are within a 3km radius, this reduces carbon emission due to logistics.
Also, a part of their factory runs on solar energy!

While creating sustainable fashion, Renge also extends support for other critical issues. Learn more by clicking here.

6. BASICLLY

Basiclly is yet another option to make a sustainable fashion choice for women. Their mantra? ‘Comfort, Ease and Familiarity’ while practicing Fair Trade.

Located in Noida, Basiclly is a fellow supporter of slow fashion. The brand crafts livable clothing to make them durable and long-lasting.
The team makes use of 100% organic fabrics with reusing and upcycling the fabric scraps. This way, they avoid the use of synthetic materials.
Basiclly makes sure to have their fabric manufactures and the production factories close. Thus, minimizing the environmental impact therein.

7. SPARROW

Sparrow was born with an aim to provide sustainable clothing at affordable prices. The team believes and contributes to a circular model of fashion.

Craftsmen at Sparrow stitch outfits using breathable fabrics sourced from ethical resources. From designing sustainable clothing to plastic-free packaging, deliberate conscious efforts are being made.

“To bridge the gap between consumers and sustainability, we strive to bring you ethical garments in affordable prices. So that your online shopping takes a conscious step towards the environment.”

8. UPASANA

This team led by Uma Prajapati works with the traditional technique of Handlooms. Upasana takes absolute pride in crafting fabrics through this concept that helps save electricity

As opposed to the artificial dyes, the team works with natural ones. Such as, Natural Indigo, native minerals, and herbs like Sandalwood and Tulsi.
To make the garments safe to the skin, Upasana infuses the same herbs with organic cotton. The medicinal properties of these herbs help provide a sense of healing to the wearer.

“Our mission is to create conscious sustainable fashion where we are taking care of our environmental cost and not passing it on to the future.”

Upasana’s work is here for you to choose a sustainable fashion alternative.

9. B LABEL

Belonging to the slow fashion tribe, B Label, powered by Boheco, takes a green route to fashion. Their star fabric? Hemp.

This sustainable fashion brand spuns Hemp into a variety of quality outfits. Why Hemp? Because,

It is Carbon negative
It repels UV rays
It resists mold and mildew
Is one of the strongest fabrics
Hemp is Anti-bacterial
It can grow with less water, etc

What more reasons do we need? B Label is one to pin our faith for a responsible fashion brand.

10. NICOBAR

Nicobar, too, belongs to the slow fashion bandwagon. Their philosophy is to make products that are: long lasting, not trend-driven, inspired by natural materials, and influenced by the culture we grew up in.

The above collage is only a gist of what Nicobar has to offer.

Apart from their products, the most exciting one is their option for customers to Gift Trees. Nicobar has partnered with the “Grow Trees Foundation.” With this, a customer can choose to plant a tree in the name of his/her gift recipient. They plant the trees in the Sundarbans of West Bengal to protect the habitat of our Royal Bengal Tiger.

Thanks to Nicobar, now I know what to gift my loved ones!

11. RIMAGINED

Rimagined is an ethical brand from Bengaluru producing sustainable fashion and upcycled products. They manufacture products right from sarees to furniture. Understanding the increasing garbage crisis, Shailaja Rangarajan led to the establishment of Rimagined.

The team works with both pre and post-consumer waste.
They craft their sarees from the pre-consumer cotton yarn waste. This is the leftover yarn during and after the weaving. They weave this yarn in the traditional Charkhas and then dye it with beautiful colors.
Rimagined also works with denim, wood, glass and rubber waste. They’re upcycled into furniture, bedsheets, decors, and other accessories.

Their aim is to divert waste from the landfills into a sustainable and valuable object of use. And they achieve this by working hand in hand with handloom weavers and tribal artisans.

CONCLUSION

These are a few of the many sustainable fashion brands in India who are working to maintain a circular economy.
Fashion waste is mainstream pollution. With a growing maturity and awareness, one has to consider ways in which he/she can limit their impact. We need to control our unnecessary contribution to the landfills.
Yet, if you happen to buy something that belongs to fast fashion, make sure you find a way to repurpose. One sustainable action goes a long way.

YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS

According to a report by the Financial Express,

It can take 2,700 litres of water to produce the cotton needed to make a single T-Shirt. As per World Resources Institute, 5.9 trillion litres of water are used each year for fabric dyeing alone.
Around 20% of industrial water pollution in the world comes from textiles. Also, about 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textile.
As per another report, about one garbage truck of textiles is either burnt or landfilled. This happens about every second!