GREENER PASTURES

Regenerative farming is quickly moving beyond a complex buzzword into a practice that’s actually giving back to the environment. And one fashion entrepreneur is opening his studio to other brands who want to integrate this unique supply chain into their businesses

When it comes to sustainability in fashion, we often think about technologically-advanced fabrics, re-created from everything ranging from recycled plastic, tyres to coffee-ground fibres. But what about the act of slowing down? Cue in: Regenerative farming – a holistic approach to farming; fostering soil health, animal welfare, water management, and restoring local ecosystems. It’s an ancient practice that has existed for decades.

While most of sustainability aims to preserve and lessen the ill impacts of the fashion industry on the environment, regenerative farming is an actual medium of renewal. To simplify it, this form of farming eliminates pesticides and plants crops in a strategic manner, where they nurture each other, which aids in topsoil regeneration, where the soil absorbs more carbon that, in turn, promotes biodiversity and decreases global warming. Nishant Chopra, founder of fashion label, Oshadi and the brains behind Oshadi Studio, is transforming the fashion supply chain through this fail-safe method, at his farm in Erode, Tamil Nadu. The entrepreneur sheds light on his vision, and why he believes that the past is the future.