Heritage

1.

The origin of Indian textiles can be traced to the Indus valley civilization as early as 5th millennium BC. homespun cotton for weaving their garments

 

The discovery of spindles and a piece of cotton fabric stuck to a vase revealed that the spinning and weaving of cotton was known to harappans nearly 5000 years ago. References to weaving and spinning are also found in the Vedic literature.

 

2.

A block printed and resist-dyed fabric, whose origin is from Gujarat was found in the tombs of Fostat, Egypt. Roman documents mention the export of silk from India to Europe around the sixth century A.D.Masulipatnam on the western coast was an important port, with traders coming in from China, Arabia and European countries like Portugal, France and England.

3.

A woman in Dhaka clad in fine Bengali muslin, 18th century.

 

 

Up until 1750, India produced about 25% of the world’s industrial output. The largest manufacturing industry in Mughal Empire (16th to 18th centuries) was textile manufacturing, particularly cotton textile manufacturing, which included the production of piece goods, calicos, and muslins.  Bengal had a 25% share of the global textile trade in the early 18th century.

 

4.

Post  colonisation, the traditional method of artisan textile production was destroyed, totally came to a standstill with the Industrial Revolution in England.

In their attempt to sell their wares, India was used as a dumping ground for their cheap machine made textiles. Indian master weavers were out of jobs.

The Swadeshi Movement stressed the need for use of the hand crafted Indian textiles, both to preserve the craft forms and also to protect the interests of the Indian craftsmen.

5.

Heritage

Oganic Cotton

Organic Dyes

Hand Spinning

 

6.

 Brief history of cotton production in India:

Before the advent of British in India, different varieties of cotton, indigenously were grown in different parts of the country, each being suited to the local soil, water and climate.

 

The British introduced Bourbon cotton in 1797, just to suit the needs of Lancashire mills.

It resulted in neglect of the varieties of the cotton that were pest resistant, and resistant to the vagaries of weather, resulting in loss of traditional seed selection, manuring and cultivation practices of Indian cotton farming.

To overcome the problem of pests such as ballworm, a lot of pesticide and insecticide were being used and to control this problem,

The introduction of Bt cotton led to a dramatic increase in production  – Monsanto

The seeds are more expensive- indebtedness, suicides

Cannot be reused

Monsanto a near monopoly on cotton seeds in India that has been the biggest worry for activists.

Not cleared for bio safety standards, leading to fears of environmental toxicity.

Resistance to insecticides

Bad for the environment because of its high water consumption and pollution, soil degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, and use of harmful pesticides and fertilisers.

 

7.

It takes 10,000 liters of water to produce one kilogram of cotton

Global cotton production requires over 250 billion tons of water annually.

 

Go for organic cotton

Organic cotton has a 91% lower water consumption than cotton grown with heavy use of pesticides. Besides, organic cotton has:

  • 62% lower energy demand
  • 46% lower CO2-emissions
  • 26% lower soil erosion

 

 

8.

India’s expertise in natural dyes dates back to ancient times, with the Vedas referring to their properties. India had a virtual monopoly in the production of dyed painted and printed textiles for a long time.Indian artisans developed and perfected various techniques of dyeing decorative patterns on cotton using vegetable colours.
Masulipatnam, Kalahasti, Pulicat and the Tanjore region on the Coromandel coast are the centres
The Environmental Benefits and Impacts of Natural Dyes

Biodegradable, Non-toxic and Non-allergenic, Non carcinogenic

Natural Dyeing Creates Zero Waste– Plants have a variety of other uses within the local community. uses all parts of the plant for use in cooking and medicine as well as extracting dye

The workers who are regularly exposed to artificial dyes without appropriate equipment or ventilation often suffer dire health consequences. As well as this, the toxic by-products from these chemicals are damaging local environments: contaminating water supplies and producing toxic air.

 

9.

A Landmark

Collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in 2013, which killed thousands of workers.

The fashion industry is now the second-largest generator of pollution on Earth after the oil

industry

  • Every stage in a garment’s life threatens our planet and its resources.
  • More than 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton, equivalent to a single t-shirt and pair of jeans
  • Up to 8,000 different chemicals are used to turn raw materials into clothes, including a range of dyeing and finishing processes
  • 25% of the world’s pesticidesare used to grow non-organic cotton
  • Clothing that doesn’t sell, falls apart or goes out of style – discarded in giant landfills.

 

10.

in 1987, the UN described Sustainability as:

“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Environmentally-friendly approach

We cause little to no harm to our planet

Don’t use up all its natural resources.

Focuses on extending the life of clothes, using recycled materials and recycling in general.

Sustainable fashion (also known as eco-fashion and ReFashion)

Ecological Integrity And Social Justice.

 

11.

It addresses the whole system of how clothing is produced, who produced it and how long the life span of a product is before it reaches landfill. This means dealing with interdependent social, cultural, ecological, and financial systems.

“Fast fashion isn’t free. Someone somewhere is paying.”

 

 

12.

Slow fashion

Ethical fashion”morally right”

Fast fashion

 

Slow fashion

 

Minimalism – Marie Kondo

A capsule wardrobe is a logical selection of clothing that you not only love to wear, but that is practical and versatile.

 

Greenwashing

 

Recycling

 

Upcycling

Requires less energy than recycling

 

Transparency

 

Organic

 

Vegan

 

Cruelty-free

 

Second-hand

 

13.

Maya Angelou has said: “Once you know better, do better.”

  • Using recycled fibres and less cotton.Opting for tencel, hemp and other sustainable options.
  • Using waterless or chemical-free dyeing processes and less synthetic materials
  • produce their garments close to their stores. The co2 emissions caused by shipping
  • accountability for its waste by establishing textile recycling
  • Make informed purchases and get educated on what they should be looking for.

The Circular Economy Concept

minimising waste

making the most of resources

challenges fashion’s linear production line that ends with clothes being discarded in landfill

using rental platforms

 

14.

self reliant

empower them with a skill

Swadeshi

self-sufficiency

interdependence

 

This cloth was called khaddar or khadi meaning rough, pure, original, organic, close to nature.  By extrapolation he intuitively promoted a greener environment free from the devastating effects of industrialization and over utilization of resources.

‘If we have the ‘khadi spirit’ in us, we would surround ourselves with. The ‘khadi spirit’ means simplicity in every walk of life, patience. Time to introspect and move ahead.

 

15.

Leading by example

I wear what I believe in. After all, clothes tell a story.

 

A cause, moment, or revelation consider what is happening around us. Be more aware, and even take action. To drive change, collaborate for good, or spread awareness.”