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An ecofriendly wardrobe does not mean dressing up in leaves! Fashion consultant Babita Jaishankar gives us tips on creating a green wardrobe.
Clothes drying on clothesline on a summer day
An eco-friendly wardrobe does not mean dressing up in leaves! Fashion consultant Babita Jaishankar gives us tips on creating a green wardrobe that loves the Earth back.
When I told one of my friends that I was designing an eco-friendly collection to help people get a greener wardrobe, she laughed and asked if I was going to dress people up in leaves!
Now, I hope I don’t have to elaborate on this – My 10 year old could give a lesson on how imperative it is that we incorporate nature’s ways into our modern lifestyle. As a designer, I am constantly reminded of my duty to do my bit towards the all-important cause of preserving the environment. To live a greener lifestyle, all you need to do is remember this simple mantra– ‘use less’.
Here are a few things I tell my clients (and also practice myself, everyday) to help make the world a better place –
I know you are used to buying on impulse, but think of a wardrobe fully stocked up with expensive clothes and still not having a thing to wear! First of all, make a list of basic things that you will need in your wardrobe. This gives you the flexibility to mix and match or complement other pieces in your wardrobe. In an earlier blogpost, I have put down ’10 must haves’ in one’s wardrobe. Know your body, lifestyle, career, and choose accordingly.
Know your body, lifestyle, career, and choose accordingly.
Invest in high quality and classic items, not necessarily high in fashion or in keeping with the current trend. You’ll pay more now, but wont have to replace those items soon, thus reducing wastage.
Wear clothes that don’t need dry-cleaning. This lessens the use of harmful chemicals (commercial dry-cleaning uses chemical solvents to remove grease and dirt) which could make you sick if you’re exposed to them constantly. Certain clothes that need to be dry-cleaned can be hand washed in cold water and flat dried. Use phosphate-free and bio-degradable washing powder.
Use phosphate-free and bio-degradable washing powder.
Needless to say, normal detergents contain non degradable compounds, brighteners, and artificial fragrances that are toxic and harm the environment. Bio-degradable detergent will increase the life of the clothes and the washing machine as the residue from this powder won’t cause any rust in the washing machine, and will not leave rust spots on the clothes.
A friend was wondering why all her expensive clothes have food stains on them. She is the busy mom of a toddler who keeps her on her toes, which often does not give her time to change her clothes. So, it is good to change into your home clothes before you get busy feeding, cooking or doing the dishes.
From something ‘out’ to something very ‘in’! Refashion with a little alteration to something trendy – a dress to a skirt, tunic, or a shorter dress. Some of us keep outfits just because of emotional attachments.
Some of us keep outfits just because of emotional attachments.
Recently, I converted a vintage raw silk kurti to a evening dress, just had to fix some of the beads that were coming loose! I felt so proud of myself- as if I had restored an old historical monument.
My new collection will be an eco-friendly one. I plan to focus on using vintage fabrics, recycled fabrics, organic cotton, and organic silk (ahimsa silk ), with greater emphasis on handwork and use of vegetable dyes (eco friendly fabrics). Right now, there is a lot of hype around fabrics made of bamboo. Here is the problem – Bamboo plantations replace forests that are fast dwindling. Also, the processing of this fabric causes a lot of pollution. So it is important to read the label and to know what kind of fabric is used and what processing was done on it.
Pic credit: Donald Darrow (Used under a CC license)
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Women today don’t want to be in a partnership that complicates their lives further. They need an equal partner with whom they can figure out life as a team, playing by each other’s strengths.
We all are familiar with that one annoying aunty who is more interested in our marital status than in the dessert counter at a wedding. But these aunties have somehow become obsolete now. Now they are replaced by men we have in our lives. Friends, family, and even work colleagues. It’s the men who are worried about why we are not saying yes to one among their clans. What is wrong with us? Aren’t we scared of dying alone? Like them?
A recent interaction with a guy friend of mine turned sour when he lectured me about how I would regret not getting married at the right time. He lectured that every event in our lives needs to be completed within a certain timeframe set by society else we are doomed. I wasn’t angry. I was just disappointed to realize that annoying aunties are rapidly doubling in our society. And they don’t just appear at weddings or family functions anymore. They are everywhere. They are the real pandemic.
Let’s examine this a little closer.
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