Q & A with Kerry Bannigan---Discover the SDGs

 

Q & A with Kerry Bannigan, founder, The Conscious Fashion Campaign 

Discover the SDGs is a month long educational virtual event (December 1st---30th) with global speakers including yourself. Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which are the ones you are focusing on and what are the steps you at Conscious Fashion Campaign are taking to achieve them?

 

Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals is the foundation of the Conscious Fashion Campaign. I believe that Goal 17 is also the driver for the achievement of the other goals.

 

The Conscious Fashion Campaign, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, co-creates high-visibility global fashion event partnerships to advance the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The initiative was established to inspire innovative ideas, connect industry leaders, enable new partnerships, and enact sustainable change.

 

Discover the SDGs is an example of the campaign working through advocacy, education, and partnership development to supports solutions for sustainable innovation in the Decade of Action. The virtual event experience, powered by Arch and Hook, Artistic Milliners and Lenzing; and supported by Interwoven, ITL Group and Orta, delivers global voices and experts to highlight and amplify the work the fashion industry is doing to drive change.

 

Due to the coronavirus pandemic a lot of businesses have been effected. The fast fashion industry has also been impacted with brands and retailers cancelling orders. Do you feel that brands are going to turn towards more sustainable production with fewer collections?

 

We are facing unprecedented times and whilst the fast fashion sector has been exposed for its damaging actions and consequences we are still hearing of increased fast fashion item releases and purchases.

 

We need accountability across the fashion value chain starting with the people being protected, receiving workers’ rights and fair working conditions. Even if brands announce that they are producing fewer collections this does not guarantee the safety and rights of garment workers. Brands should be looking at all areas of their business and consider how they move forward with people and planet in mind.

 

 

Global Fashion Agenda lauches Circular Fashion Partnership

 

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), a non-profit organisation, is a leadership forum that mobilses and guides the fashion industry to take bold action on sustainability. GFA has recently launched the Circular Fashion Partnership , a croos sectional projectwith partners Reverse Resources, BGMEA and P4G. The Circular Fashion Partnership supports the development of the recycling industry in Bangladesh throgh circular  commercioal collaborations between textile and garment manufacturers, recyclers and major fashion brands. OVS, Bestseller, H&M Group, Cyclo are amongst the first few participants.

GFA also hosts the Coppenhagen Fashion Summit which was an online event this year.

Website---www.globalfashionagenda.com

 

The Conscious Fashion Campaign's Discover the SDGs virtual event from 1st-30th December 2020 in collaboration with United Nations Office

 

Conscious Fashion Campaign launches ‘Discover the Sustainable Development Goals’ virtual event and exhibit with the United Nations Office for Partnerships

 

Kering, Tracy Reese, Gabriela Hearst, Lenzing join United Nations officials to advance sustainability action in the fashion industry and to recover better together from COVID-19

 

The Conscious Fashion Campaign, an initiative founded by social entrepreneur Kerry Bannigan to accelerate fashion industry action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals, launches a month-long virtual educational experience, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships,  entitled “Discover the Sustainable Development Goals -  To Power the Decade of Action” from December 1 - 30, 2020.

The experience aims to advance knowledge and strengthen engagement from the global fashion industry to further support the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - the 17 goals to transform our world. Discover the SDGs online exhibit will feature a wide range of SDG informational tools along with fashion sector focused on-demand discussions with industry leaders, United Nations officials and advocates; including Kering, Lenzing, Allbirds, PVH, Vogue Business, CFDA, the British Fashion Council, Messe Frankfurt, Collina Strada and the Swarovski Foundation.

“This is a critical time to accelerate partnerships to address the world's biggest challenges – from eliminating poverty, hunger and inequalities to reversing climate change and unsustainable consumption and production practices,” said Annemarie Hou, acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “The fashion industry is an important ally for the United Nations in this Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs by 2030.”

 

Discover the SDGs virtual event, powered by Arch and Hook, Artistic Milliners and Lenzing; and supported by Interwoven, ITL Group and Orta, serves as a catalyst for a new era of fashion; exploring the intersection of the SDGs and fashion business including climate action, gender equality, industry innovation, digitisation, life of land and responsible production and consumption. Speakers include fashion designers Anyango Mpinga, Gabriela Hearst, Maria Cornejo and Tracy Reese; Marsha Cooke, Senior Vice President Impact, Vice Media Group; Emily Chan, Sustainability Editor, Vogue Global Network; Dominic-Madori Davis, Reporter, Business Insider; Sara Maino, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Italia & Head of Vogue Talents; Jill Martin Wrenn, Business Reporter, BBC and Fiona Sinclair Scott, Global Editor, CNN Style. Industry supporters also include Messe Frankfurt, Drapers, Fashinnovation, Kingpins, Transformers Foundation and Raw Assembly.

 

The event will feature United Nations representatives from the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, United Nations Secretary-General’s Youth Advisory on Climate Change, United Nations Capital Development Fund, UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe/Food and Agriculture Organization and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

In her role as the Director of Global Business Development at Lenzing, Tricia Carey explains the importance of sustainability within the fashion industry; “As we close out a tumultuous 2020, we have optimism for a new year with a path to recover better together.  Discover the SDG’s by the Conscious Fashion Campaign provides the fashion industry with the tools to make educated choices with regards to both the environment and society.  Lenzing uses the Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for our initiatives to be a responsible wood-based cellulosic fiber producer making TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal.”

Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to increase collaboration and engagement around the SDGs. With the pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has seen unparalleled disruption to its operations and supply chains. As the fashion sector revises and adapts priorities, now is the time to ensure that this disruption can serve as the catalyst for a new sustainable era for all stakeholders involved.

The role of partnerships is more crucial than ever in order to recover from the pandemic and to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Murtaza Ahmed, Owner and Managing Director of Artistic Milliners emphasizes this; “At Artistic Milliners, we believe any one entity alone cannot rely on fragmented work to achieve global impact. Therefore, we are leveraging the power of SDGs as the most comprehensive framework of collective action to bring about real impact. Our efforts have led to our recognition by the United Nations Global Compact as the Global Pioneer of SDG 5: Gender Equality. We want to share our best practices with our peers and partners and the Conscious Fashion Campaign provides the perfect platform to inspire the global fashion industry to action.” 

 

Discover the SDGs, convened by the Conscious Fashion Campaign in collaboration with

the United Nations Office for Partnerships, December 1 - 30, 2020 | www.discoverthesdgs.com

 

The Conscious Fashion Campaign

The Conscious Fashion Campaign, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, is an awareness-driven initiative that engages leading global fashion industry events to accelerate collective action in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. The campaign facilitates high-impact partnerships that advocate sustainable solutions and innovations for the fashion sector to address the world’s most pressing social, economic and environmental issues.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign actively supports the Decade of Action by bridging together United Nations agencies and fashion industry stakeholders to enable the Sustainable Development Goals to scale. The Conscious Fashion Campaign partners collectively represent over $4.7 billion revenue, 800 events in 40 countries, 136,000 exhibiting businesses, 11.9 million industry attendees and 14,700 employees.  www.consciousfashioncampaign.com

 

United Nations Office for Partnerships

The United Nations Office for Partnerships serves as a connector for co-creating collaborations and provides a platform for effective engagement of public and private sector stakeholders with the United Nations development system to advance the Decade of Action to Deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. www.un.org/partnerships

 

 

 

 

 

#MY SFS JOURNEY

 

It was in 2018 that I got introduced and got an exposure to the fashion industry when I attended the sustainable fashion day in the month of August—the Lakme Fashion Week--Winter Festive. Prior to that I was lured by the discounts and new collections by fast fashion brands and mall shopping. Then, I also wrote for an online fashion magazine The Fashion Enterprise (TFE), where I got a chance to profile  various brands and learned about fast fashion and the adverse impact mass/bulk production had on people and the environment and animals. Over the past two years I have switched to buying brands that are vegan and sustainable and also swap clothes with friends and family members. That has curbed my urge to shop new collections and therefore reduced my shopping considerably. I realized that our shopping habits and choices of what we buy can have a huge impact on people and the planet. Now, I only shop a brand after studying/reading about them and then take a decision whether to buy or not.

 

I Was A Sari---How we make your clothes (Article Repost from Iwasasari.com)

HOW WE MAKE YOUR CLOTHES

How We Make Your Clothes

May 28th 2020: This Fashion Revolution Week, we make our supply chain more transparent, sharing behind the scenes. This is how we go from I am a Sari to I was a Sari!

The Sari Sourcing

This is where it all begins- at the vibrant flea market, Chor Bazaar (translated as ‘Thieves’ Market’). Definitely a place to visit if you’re ever in Mumbai. Here there are sellers with bundles of saris from which our team selects and brings them back to our HQ. We buy many kilos of saris every week.

In India most things get re-used rather than thrown away as waste. The Waghris, a nomadic community of India has been working in the trade for a century-and-a-half now. They travel door to door, barterering second-hand clothes for new utensils from households in almost every city. They are our invisible heroes helping Indians to reuse, recycle and upcycle!

Selecting the right saris

Our Production Team led by Satish, then kicks in, with their knack for selecting the right saris to transform into something new and progressive. They envisage the future for these vibrant prints and colours, matchmaking them into accessories or ready to wear.

For us this is a really important step- ensuring the fabric is both good quality and beautiful. Many have flaws- stains or thinning of the fabric. Not all saris qualify to become I was a Sari product. Once selected, the saris are given a thorough inspection and checked if the product design can work around any flaws in the fabric.

We don’t waste though: left overs are used as rags or donated to Goonj, a partner NGO to create reusable sanitary pads and other products for women in rural India.

Embellishment of the sari

With the support of #GucciEquilibrium our female artisans have entered a traditionally male world- the art of hand embroidery. In India, embroidery houses typically employ thousands of male only karigars.
The Mumbai embroidery houses that supply Gucci worked with our artisans to teach them this beautiful and intricate art. Now they’re equipped for life with a highly marketable skill!

The embroidery and embellishment techniques, whilst making the product more beautiful, they also add to the number of hours the product takes to handcraft. Each hand embellished product takes anywhere between two to twenty hours of work, which means we can engage and employ more artisans.
Check out our hand embroidered products , made by our artisans who’ve learnt from the best in the industry! 

The embroidered piece is then cut and prepared for sewing. Since we upcycle pre-loved saris, complete with flaws and all, it means every I was a Sari product is unique. Out of the 5 yards of sari material, only carefully selected parts can be used. So each sari is flawfully yours!

Once cut, the product is sewn by our artisans whose skills are improving every day. They’re women who don’t let coming from underprivileged backgrounds hold them back. They were unemployed, stay-at-home Mums who couldn’t earn a living for a variety of reasons. With our partner NGOs they’ve been trained in how to make our products, skilling themselves with different techniques which are applied to make bags, accessories and our ready to wear apparel – loungewear and resort wear.

We now engage with more than 170 artisans between our two NGO partners – CORP and Animedh Charitable Trust and we hope to work with many more women in the making of I was a Sari.

We ask our artisans : “What’s changed for you since you started working with us?”

Their answers:
#NOWICAN pay my way at home
#NOWICAN send my kids to school
#NOWICAN save up for higher education
#NOWICAN buy things for myself
#NOWICAN be independent
#NOWICAN hold my head high at home and in my community!

The 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge launches with more than 60 founding brands

2020 Circular Fashion Pledge Launches With Over 60 Founding Brand Signatories

Fashion Brands Strengthen Their Commitment to Sustainability Even Given COVID-19

Worldwide: Today, during this Fashion Revolution Week – and just after the 50^th Anniversary of Earth Day – over 60 fashion brands from six continents have pledged to implement more sustainable business practices through circularity initiatives in 2020. Collectively, they are on a mission to change the industry and prove that the sustainable fashion movement is still strong even in the middle of the human tragedy of COVID-19.

The fashion industry is a significant contributor to climate change, toxic waterways and ocean pollutants, land use, and waste. These have adverse implications for our health, economy, and planet.

However, dynamic and innovative, small- and medium-sized fashion brands are stepping up to improve the industry’s impacts. Each brand has committed to taking a specific action in 2020 to lead the industry toward a more circular model. Collectively, they are addressing the U.N. Sustainable Develop Goal (SDG) 12.5, to substantially reduce waste generation by 2030.

Fashion brands can pledge their commitment to at least one of the three below circular actions:

1.  Enable take-back or resale: By the end of 2020, launch at least one method or partnership to enable their customers to send-back or resell their used items.

2.  Increase recycled content: By the end of 2020, increase the total percentage of certified recycled content or scrap fabric by 10 percent in their top 5 selling items.

3.  Design for durability: By the end of 2020, increase the use of non-blended materials, and/or modularity and repairability in their top 5 selling items.

“Other brands can still join; we are aiming for 1,000 brand signatories this year. Asian brands are also welcome and encouraged to join the pledge,” said Adam Siegel, Founder, 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge.

Together, we are the path toward a cleaner, more dynamic, creative, and quality-driven fashion industry.

Service providers that offer technology or services can also pledge their support for helping brands achieve their sustainability goals. Additionally, consumers who care about sustainable fashion can stay updated and learn about new and dynamic brands that are working to be more sustainable.

"Saqhoute is an accessible luxury ready-to-wear brand for professional women. We have had a longstanding commitment to ethical and sustainable practices, while maintaining an Egyptian cultural aesthetic," said Norhan El Sakkout, Founder & Creative Director of Saqhoute, located in Egypt. "Given the global importance of building a circular fashion industry, we are honored to commit to the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge."

"We founded The Extra Smile to be a force for good in the fashion industry -- to make fashionable clothes for kids in a way that is fair to people and kind to our planet," said Heleen Devos, Co-Founder of The Extra Smile, with locations in Asia and Europe. "Our objective is to create more decent jobs for Asian apparel workers by selling stylish and organic children's fashion to consumers in Europe. Responsible production and consumption of apparel is very important for the future of our planet, so we are beyond excited to see many amazing brands in the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge."

"To me, it’s not just about making a piece of jewelry but in each piece, I am trying to tell a story using artistic and sustainable products," said Maria Jose Cordovez, designer and owner of MJ Cordovez Jewelry located in Quito, Ecuador. "The 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge is another way I can show my customers the importance of sustainable fashion."

The Pledge will provide signatories with resources, guidance, connections, and support to help them achieve their commitment.

About the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge: The 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge brings together fashion brands that are on a mission to change the industry. We recognize fashion’s significant contribution to climate change, toxic waterways and ocean pollutants, land use, and more. We know that the culture of low-cost, short-lasting clothing is contributing to tremendous waste all along the supply chain – and in consumers’ closets.

To solve these problems, each brand signatory has committed to taking specific actions in 2020 to lead the industry toward a more circular model.

Apparel Industry to suffer huge losses due to pandemic.

Even as the lockdown continues in most parts of India due to the pandemic, economic growth and job losses are likely to have an impact on many sectors. Fashion industry is also said to among the one to layoff staff and retailers are also asking for a zero rental from mall owners, according to newspaper reports.

And brands that do not have an online (e-commerce) presence are said to be affected more due to the crisis.

The online buying activity is dominated by the the social media youth who actively buy following influencers. But due to the stores being closed more more of this segment of younger population are likely to make online purchases.

Also, with fashion weeks getting cancelled there may not be so many seasonal trends to follow,

Some brands are even working towards making themselves as sustainable brands so as to turn away from being a fast fashion label.

The Slow Fashion Season which seeks participation from people to not buy new clothes for three months is going to commence in June (June 21st-21st September).

Besides, the 2020 circular fashion pledge is launching later this month during the Fashion Revolution Week,

  

2020 Circular fashion Pledge to launch during Fashion Revolution Week in April

Founded by Adam Siegel, the 2020 Circular Fashion Pledge will be launching during the Fashion Revolution Week later this month.
it is for brands to take a pledge(small and medium sized fashion brands) to show their commitment to circular fashion and getpublicity and support to help achieve one of three specificcirculat goals.
"It is free for the brands to take the pledge and we are aiming for 1,000 signatories this year.

The details are at the website---https://www.2020circularfashion.com

Fashion brands stores/Retailers shut shops in the wake of the pandemic

As the news of the pandemic has made sweeping newspaper headlines recently most fashion brands have shut shops and are increasing their online presence as talks of a global economic slowdown are being discussed by fashion experts.

Leading brands in the country and fashion retailers have been badly affected by the virus and they are going all out to reach out to their customers by way of emails/messages to stay home and shop online!

Even those fooreign brands who did not have an online presence have launched their websites. Marks and Spencer and vero Moda are few such brands offering online discount vouchers.

While the long term impact of the pandemic is being discussed, most brands are sending out messages and emailers to customers saying, 'your safety is our priority'.  

Eka shocased at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2020

Eka and Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

Stirred by Jo March of ‘The Little Women’, the collection celebrates the art of unconventional dressing as a powerful expression of modern femininity 

Mumbai, 14^th February 2020: On Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020, Eka by designer Rina Singh presented an unconventional take on Telangana textiles in collaboration with the Telangana State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd (TSCO). Stirred by the modern spirit of ‘Jo March’ from Louisa May Alcott’s 19th century classic, ‘The Little Women’, Eka’s Autumn-Winter 2020 collection explores different paths to female self-actualisation with a deeply romantic aesthetic.

A registered apex organization for Telangana State (Govt. undertaking), TSCO’s main motto is to up-lift the handloom sector by providing continuous employment and Market access to handloom weavers. Govt. of Telangana State extends support to TSCO by directing all the state government welfare departments to purchase their required cloth through TSCO only. TSCO also provides requisite training including development of new designs to the weavers and special efforts have been put forth to revive the languishing handloom products such as Gollabhama Sarees, Pitambari Sarees, Armoor Sarees and Himroo Fabric.

One of the interesting additions is the buniyaad machine that will increase productivity as well as quality. The Ministry of Textiles has planned to give 20 machines to the cluster.

"Our main motto with this collaboration is to enable skill development at the grass root level that would in turn create employment opportunities for the artisans. While the artisans are masters of their craft, the design intervention brought about by Rina Singh of Eka showcases the textiles of Telangana in a new light. With Lakmé Fashion Week's global outreach and Eka's scale of international business we truly look forward to globalizing Telangana textile," Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce (I&C) and Information Technology (IT) Departments of the Telangana government. 

India Sustainability Report launched during Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2020 by Voice of Fashion

Voice of Fashion launched the ‘India Sustainability Report’ at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020.

Mumbai, 14^th February 2020: The ‘India Sustainability Report: Between Science and Sentiment’ was released by The Voice of Fashion www.thevoiceoffashion.com, a daily digital magazine published by IMG Reliance on 13th February, 2020 at the Lakmé Fashion Week.

The launch, a part of the UN Circular Design Challenge saw Renata Dessaillien, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India release the first such white paper presented to the Indian fashion industry that gauges the consumer mindset and brings insight from manufacturers and retailers. An agenda setting document, it combines a consumer survey on sustainability awareness and choices among respondents from 5 cities in different target and age groups with a qualitative survey that studies sustainability practices, compliances and goals among 17 of India's top fashion and retail brands.

The consumer survey revealed that Delhi as a city was more environment conscious as 42 per cent respondents admitted having taken corrective measures for balancing the city’s carbon footprint. Kolkata and Bengaluru followed with 39 per cent and 32 per cent respectively. Mumbai (59 per cent) and Ahmedabad (23 per cent) lagged behind, with respondents admitting that they are yet to start taking active measures to counter negative impact on the environment.

Almost half the respondents studied (46 per cent) were not familiar with the term sustainable fashion. Among other key findings, 65 per cent consumers said they would be willing to sometimes pay more for a responsibly made fashion garments and 63 per cent of the respondent group believed that fashion should be produced sustainably.

The study locates where India stands in the global sustainability movement. The document informs, course corrects, analyses and offers a way forward in the scientific pursuit of sustainability that is close to India's artisanal aspects of India's crafts and creative industries.

The study carries a keynote message from Smt Smriti Zubin Irani, the Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development. Produced in partnership with SU.RE, IMG Reliance, and supported by R|Elan and Lenzing, the report has been published as a book on recycled paper.

Shefalee Vasudev, Editor, The Voice of Fashion said, “India is not just another link in the world’s fashion supply chain. Its value and distinction is critical compared to manufacturing hubs in other developing economies given the uniqueness of our crafts industries that global and Indian fashion relies on. The Voice of Fashion leads a fashion-specific exploration to bring systematically researched information on the fashion industry's environmental impact.”

About Lakmé Fashion Week:

Lakmé Fashion Week is jointly organized by Lakmé, the No.1 cosmetics and beauty services brand in India and IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd., leaders in sports, fashion and entertainment marketing and management. Lakmé Fashion Week has been conceived and created with a vision to “Redefine the future of fashion and Integrate India into the global fashion world.” Lakmé Fashion Week is organized twice every year. For further information log on to http://www.Lakméfashionweek.co.in

Designer Anand Kabra showcases beautiful wearable traditional designs during Lakme fashion Week Summer Resort 2020 at Jio Garden

A model walking the ramp at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2020 for designer Anand Kabra. The designe's collection was ispired from the rich heritage and traditional embroidery from Hyderabad.
The collection showcased was wearable with a lot of style and substance!

Sustainable Fashion Day on February 13th at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

~ ‘Circular Design Challenge’ is a collaborative initiative of RIL’s R | Elan ‘Fashion For Earth’, United Nations Environment Programme and Lakmé Fashion Week ~

~Winner to be announced on Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week on 13^th February~

Mumbai, 6^th February 2020: After the successful launch of India’s first sustainable fashion award at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2019, the premier fashion platform is set to return with the second edition of the ‘Circular Design Challenge’ - a collaboration of Reliance Industries Ltd.’s (RIL) R | Elan ‘Fashion for Earth’ initiative, Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in India.

The platform has announced a shortlist of five design entrepreneurs who were chosen based on innovative collections using materials from diverse sources of waste including plastics. The aim of this initiative is to bring to the forefront environmental champions of tomorrow in the Indian fashion and textiles industry.

While commenting on the second edition of Circular Design Challenge Mr Vipul Shah, COO – Petrochemicals Business, RIL said “We are pleased to see the unprecedented consciousness for creating sustainable, scalable, circularity concept based, creative apparel and accessory offerings throughout the entire textile value chain. We are eager to see innovations, new designs and concepts that will be presented by the shortlisted finalists.”

The chosen applicants will be mentored across personality, pitch and presentation development. There will be a final round where an esteemed panel will choose the winner on 13^th February 2020, which is celebrated as Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020.

The winner will be felicitated with a 20-lakh cash prize, presented by R Elan to build their sustainable fashion brand, and will also avail an exclusive opportunity to showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2020.

Circular fashion is a concept aimed to reduce waste by increasing its lifespan through reusing and recycling the materials and creating new products out of them. The finalists– SKILLED SAMARITAN by Gauri Gopa Agarwal, CANCELLED PLANS by Mallika Reddy, CHAMBRAY & CO by Esha Agarwal, MALAI by Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Chempodil and OFF GRAIN by Varsha Rani Solanki were chosen after a rigorous selection process. The challenge saw over 85 registrations from over 40 cities across the country.

Mr. Atul Bagai, United Nations Environment Country office, India said, “UNEP -India office is proudly associated with the Circular Design Challenge. We strongly believe that sustainable fashion is the way forward for the fashion industry as we face climate crises on a day -to-day basis. The Future of Sustainable Fashion will be Design Led. The Circular Design Challenge is a great initiative to have young upcoming designers incorporate sustainability in their designs thus creating a trend in itself amongst the fashion fraternity. UNEP congratulates the shortlisted designers for coming out with such ingenious innovative ideas.”

Mr. Jaspreet Chandok, Head - Lifestyle Businesses, IMG Reliance Limited said, "The winner of the first edition of Circular Design Challenge experienced immense growth through this platform both in terms of exposure and business opportunities. CDC shall continue to change the lives of innovators and entrepreneurs who are working towards making circularity & sustainability the new normal."

The designers were required to incorporate circular components across the textile value chain in their design through the application of circular-design principles and demonstrate a positive impact on the environment and on society. They were evaluated and scored on usage of waste in their collection, fashion & aesthetic quotient, business viability/scalability, value chain and collaborations.

From aluminium to bio-composite to Chambray, the shortlisted designers used a wide variety of materials as their fabric base to create quirky accessories and clothing. An array of techniques from croquet to charpoy weaving to fermenting bacterial cellulose were applied to upcycle and give new life to the waste in a sustainable and eco-friendly way.