Stitching together creativity and responsibility

Gone are the days when fashion was just confined to flaunting the latest trends. Today, fashionistas love to play with their creative mind so as to bring out something exceptional; something that does not only add to the glamour quotient but also takes the welfare of environment into consideration. In short, 'Green fashion' is the new black. And joining hands to popularize the concept of sustainable fashion are the budding designers who recently brought up their innovative collections on the platform of 'Asian Designer Week 2017'.

Focusing on the theme of 'fashion meets nature', the two-day event witnessed a grand celebration of fashion, style, and design with a show power packed by forthcoming designers. "We have always realized the potential of this untouched section of designers who could bring revolution in the fashion industry and hence we decided to offer more to them. That's why this time, we have focused more on the young and emerging talent. They may be new but they are very talented and have the ability to blow your creative minds with their latest collections," says Vivek Rawat, the creative director behind the show.

When millennials support and work towards a change, it surely brings positive results. Considering it as the need of the hour, not only the Indian designers but ones from Afghanistan and Bangladesh, boldly propagated the idea of 'sustainable fashion' at the fashion week. Speaking of how the fashion industry plays a major role in harming the environment, Sahil Bhatia, an emerging designer says, "I prefer to use natural fabrics in my collection because I believe the choices that we make for our clothing reverberate throughout society in various ways. Polyesters and other synthetic fabrics are hazardous waste generators. In fact, the manufacture of synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process releasing acidic gases, which aggravate health problems. Hence, sustainable fashion is what we need right now."

Sahil's collection, 'Pandoras Box', reflected the idea of evil flowing out of the doomed box into the world, leaving us with hope.

Other collections also imparted a sense of responsibility, within the designers, towards a better future. Nazila Sawhney, an Afghan-born Canadian fashion designer presented vintage, ethnic Afghan inspired looks, keeping the heritage alive while promoting today's demanding trends. On the other hand, Swati Mishra, a Delhi based young designer took an attempt to revive woollen fabric, which is indeed the dying textile in India.

Another group of designers, who stole the show, were from the International School of Design as they left no stone unturned to exhibit their creative side. Talking about their collection, the CEO of the school said, "The entire collection presented by our students revolved around the theme of the show. You will be amazed to see how they have worked with jute, cotton, ikkat and other organic fabrics to craft beautiful and trendy designer clothes. The whole idea was to come out of the standardized silhouette and experiment with something beyond imagination. For example, you could never expect a khadi evening gown to look elegant and fancy as the very fabric (to make such gowns) that comes to mind is satin or georgette."

But are common people going to join hands to bring out the desired change?

Robby Rawat, MD, iGenius, feels that common people imitate what they see. "It's essential for the designers to talk more about the sustainable fashion as it influences the commoners to a great extent. Moreover, it's a better alternative of course. Sustainable fashion is far more affordable and pocket-friendly, owing to the fabric used in making it. So, it's a fair deal for everybody."

Someone said it right: 'Creativity of a person should benefit him and not harm anyone. And truly, the future of the fashion industry will prosper under the leadership of such minds that supports the ideology of 'creativity with responsibility.'