Indian sustainable fashion brand

The Top Sustainable Fashion Brands in India

We’ve all heard that the fashion industry has some issues. From exploitative working environments to fueling a never-ending wave of clothing waste, there is a significant need for change. So what’s the alternative? Thankfully, there are many accessible ways to forego the traditional clothing brand for more innovative and eco-friendly ones. Sustainable fashion brands in India are shifting the clothing landscape and supporting local communities and artisans in the process.

Why Sustainable Fashion in India Is Important

Sustainable fashion is important because it proves that more fair and eco-friendly practices are possible in an industry that historically exploits people and the planet. Clothing brands known as ‘fast fashion’ have taken over as the most popular sources for clothing. This is because fast fashion is cheap, increasingly common, and features designs based on high-fashion or celebrity trends. But the environmental toll that these companies have are just not worth the convenience of getting a trendy top for cheap. That’s why sustainable fashion brands in India are stepping in to disrupt the cycle. Supporting eco-friendly brands shifts money from fast fashion companies who utilize cheap labor and hazardous practices. For a company, an eco-friendly mindset has a direct influence on a product’s environmental and human impact.
To see the difference for example, take a simple tee-shirt. A fast fashion brand would most likely source inorganic cotton, spin it into fabric and dye it with water-wasting practices for extremely low-wage workers to sew a garment from. Not to mention the environmental toll of shipping the garment to its consumer.

Meanwhile, a sustainable brand would take a drastically different approach. Standard tee-shirts from a sustainable brand start with organic cotton that’s spun into fabric and dyed with a closed-loop process that saves significant amounts of water. Then, it’s taken to an ethical factory that’s routinely vetted for fair wages and proper employee support. And for shipping? Many sustainable fashion brands buy carbon credits to offset their greenhouse gas emissions, including those created during shipping. For sustainable fashion brands, each aspect of a garment’s process is treated as an opportunity to support their local communities and the greater world.

Consequently, if you live in India, you might be wondering which clothing brands are sustainable, and also which clothing brands support the country specifically in their missions. To provide you with the best options, we’ve hand-picked this list of eco-friendly brands in India. By using it, you can see a full picture of the companies working to place India at the forefront of the sustainable fashion market. We’ve also included the values that are important to each brand so you can see at a glance what your money’s supporting.

Not located in India but still interested in sustainable clothing? Try our list of sustainable clothing brands based in the US.


Our Picks for Sustainable Clothing Brands in India

Sui

Sustainable Clothing Brands in India

Price Range: $10 (face mask) – $485 (co-ord set)

Values: Ethically Sourced, Gives Back, Organic (varies by product).

Sui – meaning “needle” in hindi – is a sustainable fashion brand based in India. They offer elegant and fun-loving pieces made from a wide range of fabrics like organic cotton, linen, hemp, tencel, and recycled fibers. To create designs they often collaborate with organizations like WomenWeave and Pins and Needles. These nonprofits train women in craft skills to connect them with sustainable livelihoods.

Okhai

eco-friendly products in India

Price Range: $4.32 (fabric) – $338.64 (silk saree)

Values: Ethically Sourced, Gives Back

Okhai offers clothing and eco-friendly products in India. Each piece is sourced from rural artisans that possess gifts for crafting traditional designs that are unique to their culture. As a company, Okhai has provided a significant number of women artisans with a livelihood that supports and promotes their craft skills. These traditional design skills would otherwise be lost to time and the rapid industrialization that finds little to no value in handmade work.

No Nasties

The Top Sustainable Fashion Brands in India

Price Range: $31 (tank top) – $116 (dress)

Values: Ethically Sourced, Organic, Fair Trade, Vegan, Zero-waste (varies by product)

No Nasties that offers organic, Fair Trade, and vegan clothing. Their goal of providing accessible clothing with a simple, effortless aesthetic has made them well-known in the Indian sustainable fashion brand space. They are also one of the more affordable sustainable fashion brands in India. Each garment is 100% organic cotton and created in a Fair Trade-certified supply chain. These garments are thoughtfully designed with great attention paid to small styling details. Further, No Nasties’ Zero Waste Knitwear Collection comprises garments that are knitted into their exact shape, which eliminates fabric waste. In addition, for every product you buy, the company plants 3 trees.

Nicobar

eco-friendly company in India

Price Range: $9 (socks) – $220 (dupatta)

Values: Ethically Sourced

Nicobar is a passion-driven eco-friendly company in India. It was built from a resolve to create a modern way of living, dressing, and interacting with the world. The founders wanted to both introduce India’s rich culture to a global market, and take the opportunity to show how commerce can positively affect communities. To that end, each of their offerings is sustainably sourced, created by fairly-paid workers, and packaged thoughtfully in biodegradable packaging.

Chhapa

sustainable fashion in India.

Price Range: $9.90 (shorts) – $80 (cotton saree)

Values: Ethically Sourced

Chhapa’s goal is to bring block printing to the forefront of sustainable fashion in India. Their bold and colorful designs are made with cotton and hand-woven fabrics and ethical production processes. In addition, the block prints used on each garment come from recycled wood and the dyes are non-toxic so as to be safe both for the working artisans and the Earth.

FabIndia

sustainable fashion from India.

Price Range: $16.32 (cotton churidar) – $666.10 (silk dupatta)

Values: Ethically Sourced, Gives Back

FabIndia is a longstanding advocate for Indian artisans and their work. While FabIndia provides a wide range of home goods and eco-friendly products, they also offer an amazing collection of sustainable fashion from India. They are driven in creating sustainable livelihoods for rural workers that both support and celebrate the country’s craft heritage.

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