Sustainability isn’t a new concept, but until recently there weren’t too many clamouring for it to lead a sustainable lifestyle. As the world moves towards natural materials and processes, brands are striving to make luxury purposeful. Here is a list of conscious and sustainable homegrown labels that need to be on your radar when you’re packing for your next trip. By Srushti Kulkarni
Sustainable Fashion
From using all-natural and biodegradable fabrics to upcycling material and controlling emissions, these brands are actively reducing their carbon footprint.
Rengé
Sheena Uppal started Rengé in 2016 with a goal to create conscious, luxe, and everyday clothing for women. Committed to upcycling skin-friendly surplus fabrics, their clothes are curated to reduce their carbon footprint. What’s more, their factory is powered by solar energy.
Ed-a-Mamma
A conscious children’s clothing brand by Alia Bhatt presents a range of thoughtfully designed playwear crafted from all-natural fibre-based and biodegradable fabrics. Most of the pieces are free of AZO dyes and plastic buttons, and come with garment tags that are made from FSC-certified paper.
B Label
This brand offers cannabis fibres stitched into clothes. Their apparel and accessories made of hemp repel UV rays, resist mould and mildew, and are carbon-negative.
No Nasties
A planet-positive organic fashion label that offers a wide range of vegan apparel made from 100 per cent organic cotton in a Fairtrade & GOTS certified factory. Founded by Apurva Kothari in 2011, No Nasties removes more CO2 from the air than it releases while making its products and shipping them.
Sustainable Footwear
If products can’t be reused, recycled, or repaired, they should be restricted or redesigned. This philosophy has inspired these labels to manufacture eco-friendly footwear.
Paaduks
The brand aims to promote eco-conscious consumption and usher in a sustainable lifestyle. At the brand’s core lies upcycling, where it uses heaps of discarded rubber—from old tyres, conveyor belts, and rubber mats—to create stylish and comfortable footwear.
Neeman’s
This is the first Indian shoe brand to use natural, renewable, and sustainable fibres in its shoes. Neeman’s footwear not only makes you feel good and look good but also lets you do good for the planet.
House of Prisca
The Mumbai-based footwear brand Prisca creates shoes with the highest quality vegan materials that are kind to your feet. Prisca’s collection reflects both timeless silhouettes and innovative designs.
PAIO
With a simple agenda to create cruelty-free and conscious fashion with strong design elements, traditional karigars at PAIO carefully handcraft each product. PAIO is a PETA- approved brand.
Thaely
Initially developed as a design exercise by founder Ashay Bhave to produce ethical sneakers, it has now shaped up as ThaelyTex, a fabric that looks and feels like leather but is made entirely out of waste plastic bags. The production process is bereft of chemicals and doesn’t release any toxic by-products.
Sustainable Bags
Here’s a lowdown on ethical bag brands because luxury and fashion don’t have to become synonymous with the exploitation of nature.
Nappa Dori
It is known for its carefully curated design aesthetic and craftsmanship that preserves artisanal minimalism and blends form with function. Nappa Dori interprets quintessential Indian sensibilities in contemporary designs with materials such as khaki and cotton canvas, and prints like ikat.
Moon Rabbit
This is a cruelty-free vegan faux leather label. Moon Rabbit offers timeless and skilfully handcrafted quality products that are functional, simple, and add panache to your everyday look. Funky tote bags, official bags, traditional wooden bags, and statement crossbody bags are some of their bestsellers.
A Big Indian Story
This is a brand with a modern take on Indian heritage and a strong commitment to sustainability. Besides the PETA-approved process of making bags and lifestyle accessories from vegan leather and Pinatex, the brand also focusses on Indian handicrafts.
The Burlap People
The brand focusses on sustainable bags made with jute. The company lets its customers design their own bags as well.
Aulive
A PETA-approved brand, Aulive offers travel gear in cruelty- free, plant-based leather as well as Pinatex. The products are made from artificial leather sourced from Italy.
Sustainable Beauty
These brands have begun shaping the future of clean beauty.
asa
Offering an array of purposeful products that are vegan, sustainable, and free from animal cruelty, asa makes sure to keep toxins away from your beauty routine. The products come packed in reusable cases.
Kiro
A clean beauty make-up brand that refrains from using any toxic ingredients, Kiro’s products are made with enriching carrier oils. Kiro’s make-up collection soothes, nourishes, and hydrates your skin. Each item is 100 per cent vegan, cruelty- free, and paraben-free.
Ruharoma
Its handmade products use ingredients such as cold- pressed plant oils, butter, clay, herbs, and botanicals. The products come in conscious packaging.
Plum
Using only plant-based actives that are carefully chosen and combined into a skincare formula, Plum says no to derivatives from ingredients such as honey, beeswax, wool, silk, shells, insects, bone, leather, etc.
Forest Essentials
This label infuses ancient wisdom with a modern aesthetic to provide effective food for the skin. Forest Essentials combines fresh and seasonal plants and their extracts in its formulations.
Bubble Farm
The brand offers natural skincare and haircare products. Each product is formulated from raw materials that include plant- based, food-grade, cold-pressed oils and waxes, steam-distilled therapeutic-grade essential oils along with floral waters and botanicals.
Sustainable Accessories
There’s nothing like environment- friendly accessories to spruce up your look while being gentle on the earth. So let’s wrap, adorn, and accessorise our way to a greener world.
Paulami
The label designs distinctive accessories such as neckpieces, earrings, bags, and brooches in a range of fabrics. It employs exquisite hand embroideries. Paulami provides a platform for women from underprivileged backgrounds to hone their creative skills and earn a living.
Runway India
Besides promoting ‘Made in Nagaland’, this brand showcases locally available materials, and supports women artisans who help in preserving and promoting age-old crafts. Runway India offers handcrafted jewellery and handloom accessories that resemble traditional pieces but with contemporary touches in the form of colours, textures, and beadwork.
ONEarth
A sustainable lifestyle brand that crafts affordable plastic-free alternatives, ONEarth operates on the philosophy of ‘Waste to Wealth’. The brand makes natural and artisanal jewellery with eco-friendly materials. Think ornaments made of coconut, jute, recycled paper, cork, and natural rubber.
Sustainable Home Decor
Infinite growth of material consumption in a finite world isn’t viable in the long run. A revolution will bring about the desired results if it begins in our homes.
Mianzi
The sustainable lifestyle label supports a mission-driven innovative workplace where products are ethically hand-engineered to showcase timeless designs in bamboo. With every purchase, wages are generated for the craftsmen. Mianzi looks at achieving the goal of creating a brighter and sustainable future for the artisans and our planet.
Sirohi
Sirohi is a sustainable brand that advocates slow lifestyle. Their home and lifestyle products are created by skilled women artisans from marginalised communities in rural India by upcycling plastic and textile waste materials. The label aims to promote sustainability and empower women with its products.
Related: TL Conscious Travel List: 9 Sustainable Hotels In India
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