Here is some good news!

If you are an apparel business owner, you have the opportunity to change the world.

You have the opportunity to make positive social and environmental impact, the kind of impact that improves people’s lives, preserves the environment, builds communities, and so, so much more. And, the best part of the story is that you can also strongly enhance your brand image and value by leveraging your sustainability initiatives, while at the same time increasing and strengthening your customer base substantially.

Recent market research studies seem to indicate that a huge majority of millennials tend to choose environmentally friendly products over others even if they have to pay extra for them.

It is now becoming quite evident that this biggest consumer demographic – the millennials and even Gen Z – has a strong inclination towards businesses which are engaged in green initiatives. The preferences and strong leanings of this generation need to be understood properly by the businesses which need to engage with them and earn their loyalty. The youth may seem to be casual in their attitude and impatient in their actions, but at the same time they are also much more aware and concerned about their social responsibility.

It is not wrong to conclude that if a brand wishes to appeal to this group of customers, it has to be seen and noticed as being concerned for the environment and society. The millennials tend to trust the brands associated with eco-friendly and sustainable practices and products a lot more than the others.

Consumers are increasingly demanding transparency, better manufacturing standards, non-toxic processes, and in general better treatment of the planet and lower carbon footprint.

The millennial consumer – educated, highly aware and sensitized – is not driven by just price. This is one segment which has the capacity to spend, and is also considerate enough to give sufficient thought to the values being pursued by a brand. They want to associate with brands which are proactive in their approach towards social change and environmental responsibility, and thus derive satisfaction out of their association with such brands.

As the expectations on corporate responsibility increase, and as transparency becomes more prevalent, it is becoming more and more important for a brand to recognize the need to act on sustainability.

What is the way forward for a brand in this situation?

The solution is quite simple. All that you need to do is to start small, add sustainable products in your offerings, and highlight this in all your promotions and campaigns.

There are so many examples already floating around – of sustainability efforts undertaken by brands which have a global presence. You can easily adapt and implement some of these ideas for your brand as well.

We are living in an age of resource scarcity and it is becoming more and more important to focus on techniques and solutions which can utilize the one resource – the manpower – which we have in plenty.

One of the easiest options – available to all domestic apparel brands in India – is to CHOOSE HAND-MADE textiles and integrate products made from hand-made textiles in their collections.

Choose HAND-MADE Textiles & CONTEMPORIZE the Offerings

Hand-made, by default, is environment friendly since the process is not energy-intensive. It is sustainable as it utilizes natural materials and resources, with multiple options for recycling and up-cycling of material. It is also socially responsible as it engages traditionally skilled craft-persons for production and supports communities of artisans in rural areas.

Khadi and Handloom apparel has always been associated with traditional dresses like kurta, dhoti, saris, etc. This is what needs to change.

The need of the hour is to change the perception of traditional hand-made products, by offering and showcasing trendy and contemporary ensembles which will capture the attention of the youth & the millennial, in India, and across the globe.

An array of innovative and modern apparel needs to be created – using hand-made fabric – which will eventually help in changing the image of hand-made textiles from a staple for kurta, dhoti and sari material.

These collections must include trendy tops and dresses, chic workwear, edge and bold jackets and bottoms, which resonate well with the millennials across the globe.

The enhanced visibility and availability of such apparel will influence the global youth to use hand-made textiles in their day to day life.

So, all that an apparel retail brand needs to do – in order to make a beginning – is to include some products which are made out of hand-made textiles and start offering these in addition to the existing collections.

How Denim Club can help?

Denim Club India offers a wide range of eco-friendly hand-woven denim fabric, in weights ranging from 4.5 oz to 14 oz, which can be used for making almost everything a designer can think of.

COLLABORATIONS

In a bid to popularize the fabric, Denim Club has been collaborating with young and independent designers wanting to work with the traditional hand-made fabrics, but creating silhouettes that are more contemporary and not necessarily Indian.

DESIGN INPUTS

Denim Club extends complete support to a brand desirous of integrating contemporary hand-made textiles in their collections, by making available completely customized fabrics, providing design inputs for making specially styled denim apparel, and sharing knowledge for creating completely sustainable and eco-friendly collections.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Denim Club is happy to share its deep insight and extensive knowledge about applications of hand-made denim fabric, with the brands in order to speed up the integration of hand-made textiles in their product collections.

We are more than willing to educate your merchandizing, sourcing and designing teams to specifically help them understand the nuances of eco-friendly and sustainable hand-woven denim fabric in which vegetable dyes have been used for coloring the yarn or fabric, to significantly lower the learning curve.

So, get in touch with us to step up your brand’s sustainability efforts and help the consumer in changing the world!