BENGALURU : Sustainability is the buzz word in the fashion industry these days, especially since the sector has come to be known as the biggest polluter of the planet. Designers are putting together environment-friendly wear and buyers are exploring various options that would slow down the deterioration of the planet. The intent and interest was clear when a large number of people attended a clothes swapping event recently, organised by Exchange Room, a curated wardrobe swap community.
According to Sai Sangeet, who, along with her business partner Prithvi Rao founded Exchange Room in 2014, the number has grown organically since they first launched their project. “We started with just 10 exchangers in July 2014, and now have a community of over 2,000 like-minded women, who we engage with on social media regularly,” says Sangeet, adding that over 15 events they have hosted over the years, 600 members have been repeat customers.
“People could stop using a product for various reasons like having put on or lost weight, been tagged on social media in that outfit already etc. But by swapping clothes, not only are they ensuring they are getting something that they will use but also making sure you are not discarding your clothes or buying new ones,” she says.
Manasi Thakur, who regularly swaps her clothes, points out that the increasing number of sales in the city has spoilt many. “There was a point where I had so many clothes in the wardrobe that I could not buy more and eventually got bored. But the concept like exchange rooms help,” says Thakur.
If swapping is not for you, then like some Bengalureans you could give renting a try. This way, you can look great without having to shell out large amounts of money. Savita Poddar, founder of Kyasa, says, “People have become lot more conscious about textile waste these days. We have customers who go for Indo-western or ethnic wear, depending on the occasion.” The rent here starts from `800 and goes up to `2,000, depending on the label.
Brands like H&M are also trying to do their bit to get to reduce textile pollution. They are allowing customers to avail discount coupons in exchange for used garments. In turn, they recycle them and hand them over to the lesser privileged. Dhatri Bhatt, PR head for the brand, says, “Through our garment collect programme, we don’t want old garments to go to the landfills, which is causing a lot of environmental hazards. After we collect the clothes, they are categorised into re-wear, reuse and recycle groups. The ones that cannot be used go to our recycling plant in Germany where it is torn down to pulp to be recycled into something else.”