Reports suggest that textile waste is the second-largest contributor to pollution in India. Fast fashion, toxic dyes, mass industrialization, and lack of repurposing have led to a massive increase in textile waste. Globally, around 10% of textile gets reused and the rest goes to landfills. This creates an enormous ripple effect on the environment, with a rise in landfills, emission of greenhouse gases, and climate change. The youth must focus on environmentally sustainable practices.
USHA and NDTV want to encourage and educate the masses on the need for sustainable fashion and repurposing. The 4-month initiative is about building conversations and awareness around repurposing textiles and sustainable fashion. The campaign will feature brands and individuals who are promoting recycling and upcycling, giving your clothes a conscience.
Students of the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad are working on a design project wherein they are repurposing old clothes, giving a new life to second-hand clothes and textile waste.
The faculty at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad encourages students to innovate with the leftover fabric from not only within the campus but also outside it. It is a way to give a new meaning and conscience to old clothes.
The need for textile upcycling is becoming increasingly apparent due to the alarming environmental challenges we face. We bring to you some brands that are working in the same direction. On one hand is 'Refash', a platform that brings together all brands providing upcycled clothes and accessories. On the other side is 'Rejean', a social enterprise upcycling denim waste.
In Pune, MotherQuilts is empowering rural women and keeping the traditional art of Godhadi making or quilting alive. Godhadis are traditional hand-stitched patchwork quilts usually made using old sarees. On the other hand, Panipat, known as the "cast-off capital" of the world, recycles textile.
Rajiben Vankar, an artisan from Gujarat is on a mission to collect as much plastic as possible and give it a conscience by weaving it into bags, jackets, and other items. On the other hand, Pabiben Rabari is an extraordinary craftswoman from the Rabari community in Gujarat who has emerged as a pioneer in the world of sustainable fashion through her innovative use of upcycled clothing
The Waghris - a nomadic community - has been operating this informal, often invisible old-clothes recycling trade for more than a hundred years now.
Project Purkul, a cloth-based handicrafts collective is driven by the intricacies of technique. They use patchwork, applique and quilting methodologies to create pieces that decorate your home, and add functionality and colour to your kitchen. Similarly, at Sweet Root, baby clothes are reused and reinvented and turned into memory quilts.
Our old clothes hold the solution to a very challenging public health issue - poor menstrual hygiene. The lack of access to affordable, hygienic menstrual products has caused girls to drop out of school, severely limited women's participation in public life, along with severe health issues. But, there are people who are trying to solve the twin problem of fabric waste and inaccessibility to menstrual hygiene products by making cloth pads. In this photo story, we feature NGO Samajbandh and EcoFemme, a social enterprise who are working with the women and for the women.
What do we do with our discarded textiles to keep them out of landfills? Even the smallest scrap of cloth can be put to best use. Sujata Chatterjee, Founder and Managing Director of Twirl.Store and Medha Bhatt, Artist and Advocate of Zero Waste show us how to upcycle textile waste and reduce the burden on already overflowing landfills.
Do you know what happens to the old army uniforms once the personnel retires? Ever wondered where can you give your discarded clothes which you don't like anymore or the clothes that don't fit you? Have you ever wished that someone would just come to your doorstep and collect the old clothes? Well, here are some organisations addressing all these questions.