This article was originally published on The Voice of Fashion by Unnati Saini.
As India’s only sustainability-focused fashion award turns five, and goes global, finalists make a case for new materiality.
Sustainable Fashion Day (October 12) at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI in Delhi, culminated in the finals of the Circular Design Challenge (CDC) on the lawns of the UN House in the capital. The show marked the fifth year of the award presented by fabric brand R|Elan in association with the United Nations—this was the first time the competition had international participants. Among six finalists, from India, UK, EU and APAC, eyewear brand Without by Anish Malpani took home the coveted prize with footwear designer Felipe Fiallo winning the runner up title.
Fashion’s waste problem is written into the present in all caps. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, current consumption patterns will lead to more than 150 million pieces of clothing waste crowding landfills by the year 2050. Considerable efforts being undertaken to combat this looming threat, includes design innovations that produce mindfully and at a slower pace. “Defining circularity in this age of excess is a crucial aspect of addressing sustainability in the fashion industry,” says Darshana Gajare, Head of Sustainability at RISE Worldwide. Leading Sustainable Fashion Day at LFW x FDCI, Gajare has spent months travelling and scouting talent for the competition, along with an international jury. “Circularity in fashion means designing, producing, and consuming clothing in ways that minimise waste and reduce the environmental impact. The CDC plays a pivotal role in promoting and exemplifying these principles on a global scale,” she adds.
While an international expansion was on the cards since before the pandemic, it has finally managed to take shape with the fifth edition. Newer international voices in the pool of innovators have offered broader perspective, according to Gajare who believes this will also open space for new collaborations. The cross-cultural exchange of thoughts will beget greater understanding of what circularity truly encompasses at the international level.
If the latest edition of CDC is any indication, the future of design may depend on rethinking the very materials used to make products. Enter sneakers crafted from algae and sunglasses made from discarded packets of chips. Among many other innovative ideas and product debuts.
Material Matters
The fashion runway, a seasoned witness to intricate threadwork, embroidery and crochet amongst other textile techniques, saw new arrivals. Fiallo’s futuristic take on luxurious footwear noted a strong affinity to nature as the designer chose material, processes and styles that mimicked it in all its glory. Kombucha formed the basis for durability, mushroom aped real leather and 3D printed fuchsia boots caught everyone’s eyes. His showstopping sequinned white chunky sneakers, Crystal Walk were magic. “Those crystals grow naturally on the upper part due to over-mineralisation. We aim to recreate not just form but also the process of regeneration,” the designer said.
Runner-up Felipe Fiallo’s sneakers with white crystals all over them.
On the other hand, Jinali Mody, founder of material innovations label Banofi, and Arundhati Kumar of accessories brand Studio Beej partnered to create bags, belts and bracelets out of banana crop waste. A mix of indigenous craftsmanship and bio-research, the plant-based leather claims to reduce carbon emissions up to 80 per cent and water usage by 90 per cent as opposed to real leather. Malpani’s winning collection saw extreme dexterity with packets of chips reimagined as affordable sunglasses and jewellery produced with 90 per cent recyclable materials and a considerably lower carbon footprint. His technology, which awaits a patent, begins with a chemically driven technique that works to completely separate layers of the packets followed by the addition of synthetic materials that result in bendable frames.
Waste Measurements: Bhuj to Sri Lanka
Other finalists turned their gaze inwards, to their own design practices and to the excess generated in garment production. Delhi based label Studio Medium’s Riddhi Jain Satija and Dhruv Satija gave a new life to 1.5-lakh-km of thread length that gets discarded every year in the making of bandhani. Creating new, textured garments including overlays and jackets in a dreamy palette of pastels, they used weaving, quilting and patchwork amongst other techniques. Collaborating with weavers across Bhuj who make use of pre-existing templates, the duo has created a nexus of craftspeople interested to take this upcycling forward.
Garments from Wijesekera’s collection at the showcase.
Amesh Wijesekera, London based designer of Sri Lankan descent, on the other hand worked with offcuts from street markets, factory surplus and deadstock wool from Scandinavian countries—a residue of the widespread import and export business on the island nation. His research led him to not just newer handwoven fabrics but also “techniques to replicate digital printing that makes considerably less use of water.” Taiwanese Pei-Wen Jin, who has a patented zero-waste technique, presented scrap materials constructed into hats, pockets, backpacks and dresses. All her pieces are modular, designed to be taken apart and worn in varied ways.
Sustainability is Slow
Fiallo’s inventions may be an ideal mix of technology, biology and crafts; inventions like these also require investment in 3D printing and sourcing materials from across the globe. “We get kombucha from Italy and some viscose from Spain for production,” said Fiallo who works with a small team of four people. The algae shoes took two years to complete, the kombucha ones more than three.
Bag made using a plant based leather, Banofi.
Trying to find a better solution to dispose of the 80-million-tons of banana waste produced annually in India, Banofi has also been years in the making and went through continued testing for durability. Challenges abound when working with raw materials—not only is the process long-drawn, but there’s a lot of trial and error. Mody explains, “We were constantly in touch with the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai; there was a lot of back and forth, and one of our major problem areas is about durability. We’re good for bags but perhaps not yet for the wear and tear of shoes, which could take more time.”
Similarly, to make his winning sunglasses, Malpani took two years to develop the process which separates the chemicals in the wrappers of chips before going through multiple tests. “There are tests that cost over 1 lakh each time, and it becomes impossible to get them done every time we work on bendability and strength,” he notes. Revolutionary ideas take years to culminate. Incorporating sustainability becomes a gradual process even for these forward thinkers.
For Medium’s Jain and Satija, working with offcuts hasn’t been easy. Jain has invested ten years of her life studying and coming up garments and home goods for the material and continues to develop newer techniques. “The mentoring sessions with CDC really helped us prioritise where to put in our energy,” she adds. “And how a vital part of our job is to keep as much waste as possible away from landfills even if that may sometimes come at the cost of additional water usage.”
All Roads Lead to Demand
Another problem area common for most material innovators is the need to create a demand, especially in Indian markets. “Education and dissemination of information is much less as opposed to the West, it’s still at a nascent stage. We’re also working on educating our audience as we move ahead in our journey ,” says Mody .
Social media definitely acts as an agent to boost the process; Earlier this year, Malpani posted a video on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) introducing Without sunglasses and detailing. The content went viral, which was how a fashion week team team reached out to him about CDC. Now as a winner, he will present a solo collection at the next season of fashion week.