Designing the confluence of fashion and water conservation
INN/New Delhi, @Infodeaofficial
Now, the confluence of fashion and environment brings together the brightest minds in the design, and fashion industry to promote water conservation as an essential element of these two creative pursuits, and professions.
To attract and motivate the young designers to build their careers with a focus on environmental sustainability, particularly water stewardship, two organisations Refashion Hub and YWater have come together to offer Fashion Forward Fellowships.
Conceptualized by Rushva Parihar and Riddhika Jesrani, the fellowship will help emerging designers develop a holistic understanding of what sustainable fashion entails. They will be taken through an alternative approach to the creative and business process of establishing an ethical fashion label.
Rushva Parihar is a Sustainability Coach with a mixed background in Fashion, Wellness, Health, and Non-Profit (Water and Sanitation). Riddhika Jesrani is a jewelry designer and a budding spatial design strategist. Her work concentrates on a tryst between functional and aesthetic design.
The fellowship aims to keep the planet at the heart of the conversation and approach traditional business models with increased creativity, dynamism, and experimentation. Over the course of 5 weeks, the fellows will get a chance to enrich and expand their professional skill-set through virtual learning sessions, live studio visits, and expert interactions.
Some of the partner organisations and mentors that will impart their expertise and urge fellows to look at fashion through a new lens include Studio Beej, Studio Medium, Hemp Fabric Lab, designer Karishma Shahani Khan, stylist, and sustainable living advocator Ekta Rajani, materials expert Maadhvi Singh, brand consultant Radhika Dhawan, and Rixi Bhatia of Half Full Curve amongst others.
At the end of the fellowship in April, each fellow will conceptualize a capsule collection, across textile, footwear or accessories, that incorporates the principles of sustainability and water stewardship and present it to a panel of judges including Nonita Kalra, Parmesh Shahani, and Akshay Tyagi. The winner will be awarded a sum of INR 1 Lakh to bring their sustainable capsule collection to life.
“The fashion and textile industry is one of the largest contributors to water pollution throughout its value chain. We believe that the next generation of fashion leaders have the potential to introduce and lead the needed paradigm shift. The Fashion Forward Fellowship aims to foster the idea that the changing practices in fashion can be a solution to, rather than a cause of, environmental degradation.” Maninder Singh, Co-founder, YWater The Fashion Forward Fellowship is part of a series of creative programmes by The ReFashion Hub that is aimed at raising awareness around water stewardship in the fashion industry and mobilizing fashion stakeholders to join the conversation.
Over the next three months, The ReFashion Hub will work with popular comic-strip artists and graphic designers including Vinu Joseph, Mehek Malhotra, Priyanka Paul, Aditi Mali, Param Sahib, and Manasi Deshpande, and photographer Prarthna Singh on projects to raise awareness on the issue of water wastage in the fast-fashion and the immediate call to action for a more sustainable industry. It will also continue to promote traditional crafts and support local artisans through its textile exhibit Karkhana Chronicles. The deadline for applicants is 15 February 2020.
For more information see the social channels @therefashionhub and @ywaterindia
