It is no news that the world is grappling with several environmental challenges. Amid all this, the fashion industry is moving away from its linear practices of generating heavy waste to a sustainable approach. As people grow more eco-conscious, designers are turning toward luxury and creativity by incorporating upcycled and recycled materials into their collections.
Gone are the days when sustainable fashion meant compromising on style — today, it’s about giving discarded fabrics, plastics, and even metal a new life on the runway. The world celebrates Global Recycling Day today, and we throw light on the works of designers who have incorporated recycled materials in their designs to produce sustainable yet stylish garments for everyday wear.
Consciously eclectic
Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword anymore; it’s the future of fashion. For designer Mannat Sethi, co-founder of Graine, discarded rubber tubes are the main materials used in their designs. “Using these started as an experiment in our early years and is now a signature material to our drafting board,” she says. The procedure involves close observation of their surroundings and identifying and processing the materials for longevity and optimal use. “A term very closely associated with our initial vision board for the brand was consciously eclectic. Responsible clothing that one can wear to an eclectic gathering. The materials are used in a fresh outlook so the concept of conscious clothing can be extended to evening wear,” she further adds.
Waste to Wonder
{{/usCountry}}Sustainability isn’t just a buzzword anymore; it’s the future of fashion. For designer Mannat Sethi, co-founder of Graine, discarded rubber tubes are the main materials used in their designs. “Using these started as an experiment in our early years and is now a signature material to our drafting board,” she says. The procedure involves close observation of their surroundings and identifying and processing the materials for longevity and optimal use. “A term very closely associated with our initial vision board for the brand was consciously eclectic. Responsible clothing that one can wear to an eclectic gathering. The materials are used in a fresh outlook so the concept of conscious clothing can be extended to evening wear,” she further adds.
Waste to Wonder
{{/usCountry}}Ateev Anand, founder of Re-Ceremonial, realised he needed to look at things that already existed in the environment (possible waste and throwouts) to make something new out of them. “About 8-9 years ago, I started looking at textile waste recycling, and I wanted to create garments from that. It took a long time to figure everything out, but today, we work with dyes that have been made from used temple flowers and other elements like pomegranate and coconut shells in our textile making," he explains. All his colours are sourced from plant dyes, and most of his fabrics are also made from recycled yarn.
Source and upcycle
Taking a modern approach, Pratyush Kumar, founder of Pieux, works with a plethora of recycled materials like Recycled plastic (rPET) textile, cartex (upcycled carpet waste handloom textile), Certified organic cotton, rose, milk, aloe vera, orange, Cupro and sugarcane textiles, Lenticular Recycled textile and donated damaged products like: Parachutes, Paraglideers, Curtains, Sarees, Blazers and shirts.
“Damaged apparel, curtains or paragliders/parachutes we get by donation. We source recycled polyester and certified organic textiles from vendors in Delhi and Surat. Handloom textiles and Cartex are created by weavers in Jaipur, Delhi and Uttaranchal. Deadstock and surplus materials we source from markets like Mangolpuri and Mills. We also reuse our own production leftovers,” he shares.
The benefits of upcycling and recycling in fashion go beyond the environmental impact. Reducing textile waste helps conserve natural resources and minimises pollution caused by traditional fabric production. Plus, recycled materials often have a lower carbon footprint, making them a more sustainable choice overall.