The Wave Of Responsible Fashion

As we witnessed at the recent season of Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai, sustainable fashion is high on the industry ’s agenda

- Riaan Jacob George

RESPONSIBLE FASHION

Over the past few seasons, there has been a noticeable shift in the message pushed out at Lakmé Fashion Week, India’s premier bi-annual fashion showcase. From being a mere platform to showcase designers and eventually garner sales, there has been a strong message of responsible fashion, with sustainability being a keyword. Given India’s longstanding heritage with textiles and sustainable fashion, it comes as no surprise, then, that Lakmé Fashion Week’s increased focus on sustainability is garnering a lot of attention. Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head of Fashion at IMG sets the context for this trend, “We at Lakmé Fashion Week started with a strong focus towards Indian textiles seven years back. Over the years, we have evolved to include all stakeholders across the value chain and we have broadened the narrative to include both the human and the ecological side of sustainability.” That said, every season, the fashion showcase earmarks a separate day, which they call Sustainable Fashion Day and this brings together global organisations like the United Nations, the Ministry of Textiles and the British Council. The idea is to bring leading innovators, designers and large textile and retail businesses towards a common platform to drive the industry forward, towards a more sustainable future. “This is particularly important, given that fashion is the second largest polluter in the world,” adds Chandok.