How many of you have seen some pieces from the wedding trousseau of your parents or grandparents? If you haven’t, go ask for it today. You will for sure see handwoven saris, lehengas, mekhela-xador in the purest banarsis, kanjeevarams, patolas, paithanis and of course pat and muga among many more varieties. These fabrics are our roots! And the time to go back to our roots is now!
Why now? Because we have strayed afar and if not now then we fear losing not just our rich heritage but also the planet we thrive on. Green house emissions from the fashion industry, which includes the entire lifecycle of textiles – from seed/fibre to shelf, contribute almost 10% to global carbon emissions, making the earth warmer year after year.
While we will talk about our heirloom fabrics another day, what we need to discuss is what you as an individual can do to leave an earth-friendly footprint? Again, go back to your roots in three simple ways.
- Buy less: Yes. Buying less means one garment less that goes to the landfill where all our clothes eventually land up and take hundreds of years to be one with earth. This is what our parents, and their parents did.
- Recycle: Didn’t we all as kids at some time or the other wear the hand-me-downs of our older siblings? What happened to your dad’s old T-shirt once it had faded and frayed? It invariably became a duster or mop! Time to restart that practice.
- Repair |ReUse: Don’t throw away that pair of jeans or old bedsheets. Repair and reuse whenever you can. Stitch old bedsheets in colourful patterns to make the softest floor rugs. Ask your helps if they can do it for you. Don’t fit into your old pair of denims anymore? Give it away to someone who can wear it. Even stocking up clothes forever in your almirah has a carbon footprint!
Not very difficult to follow steps these. Think and take one step at a time. Encourage your friends to do the same. Remember, every drop counts.
