In this era of fast fashion sustainability has become a major concern. Due to the influence of social media, people do not desire to repeat their outfits as they have already uploaded a lot of pictures in a particular outfit and therefore, show the world that they do not repeat their outfits and love to wear different designs and styles of attires to look fashionable and stylish. We have a lot of fashion influencers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and by not repeating outfits they are influencing thousands of women out there to do the same, especially to the young women. Of course it is not wrong to wear new outfits, however, wearing them only once and not repeating them even for the second time is a major concern for the world. By doing so you not just waste your hard earned money, rather you are also harming our ecosystem by increasing the garbage waste and carbon footprint. However, there are some outfits which help you not fall in this trap, rather encourage you to be sustainable and Indian dresses are one of them.
In this article we shall be looking at how Indian outfits are promoting sustainability in the era of fast fashion. Indian outfits are available in a wide range of varieties in different styles and designs and therefore, you get a chance to wear a wide variety of outfits for different functions and events. Due to the emergence of the eCommerce business and internet reaching every corner of the world, shopping has become easy these days, so much so that you can order your favourite item just with a single tap or click. The same goes for Indian outfits as well. Different websites such as Like A Diva and alike offer you with a wide range of Indian outfits for different occasions and functions ranging from sarees to Indo western dresses.
Let us now have a look at how some Indian outfits are helping us to remain sustainable in this era of fast fashion.
Sarees
What comes to your mind when you think of an Indian outfit? It is definitely a saree. A saree is one such outfit which every Indian woman loves to wear. It is an epitome of royalty, sophistication and elegance. The six yards of pure grace, sometimes nine yards never fail to make a woman look like a goddess directly landing from heaven. In other words, a saree makes a woman look no less than an angel. Apart from making a woman look beautiful, it has a major contribution to our environment because of its sustainability and versatility. Traditional sarees received as gifts or as family heirlooms are passed down to the next generations and they are manufactured and designed in such a way that they never get outdated and any women irrespective of their age, colour and body type can wear them to different functions and events. Hence, instead of throwing them away they are used as a precious asset, just like jewellery and hence, are taken much care of. Since they are passed down to the next generations, therefore, in a way they reduce the garbage waste and carbon footprint from the earth and also give a proof of their durability. Paithani saree, Jamdani saree, Patola saree, Leheriya saree, Kanjivaram silk saree, Sambalpuri saree and so on are some of the well known traditional sarees.
The same is applicable to modern and designer sarees as well, as you must have seen Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt repeating her wedding saree designed by famous fashion designer Manish Malhotra while receiving a national award. The best part about an Indian saree is that you can wear it by mixing and matching it with different designs of blouses having the same or contrasting colours. Highly sustainable, isn’t it?
Lehengas
Another Indian outfit which is immensely popular among women and gives you a regal and ethereal vibe is a lehenga. Just like the saree it is also available in traditional and contemporary style. And these days Indo western lehengas are on high demand which consist of an intricately designed crop top or kurta, a floor length and flared skirt, an intricately designed long jacket and an empire waist belt; it is completely different from the traditional lehenga which consists of an intricately designed blouse, floor length skirt and a dupatta. The best part about this outfit is that you can mix and match any of the elements with other similar outfits and can give your attire a completely new look. For instance, you can mix and match the top with other skirts in contrasting designs and colours and vice versa and similarly instead of taking a dupatta with it, you can just wear an intricately designed jacket or a shrug to give it an Indo western vibe. In this way you can repeat all your lehengas for a long period of time, thus, making them sustainable and durable.
Anarkali dresses
Anarkali suits are mainly known for their sustainability and durability. Do you know why? Because they have been on trend since the time of the Mughal era. Of course they have evolved a lot over the time, however, they have not been out of trend as such. Therefore, if you have an Anarkali dress which you may have purchased long before, then do not hesitate to wear it to a party as it will give you a trendy and mesmerising look. Speaking about their evolution, an Anarkali dress is a little bit different from the ones used before. Earlier women used to wear a flowy, flare and frock style kurti with intricate designs, a pair of churidar and a dupatta; today on the other hand, instead of a kurti, we have a floor length Anarkali dress giving the vibe of an ethnic gown with which you can either carry a dupatta or an intricately designed jacket. You can wear either of the styles as none of them are out of trend. You can even mix and match an Anarkali dress with other dupattas or jackets.