And while the fashion on the ramp threw up many ideas and designs that could make a mark in the future, the one thing in the fashion industry that we are really charged about is the use of whole banana plants, bamboo fibre and other plant-based materials for fabrics!
For a long time, scientists and environmentalists have preferred the use of cotton to man-made fabrics, but according to a report by World Wildlife Fund (WWF), cotton plants needs close to 10,000 litres of water to produce just 1kg of usable cotton! Isn’t it time we moved to alternatives, especially since the inedible and unused parts of banana, pineapple, hemp, jute, cork, sugarcane and other plants can be processed to create textile fabrics! These remains are usually burnt or end up in landfills. Why not then use them productively to create fabrics?
One example of this process is being employed by Tamil Nadu-based C Sekar, a third-generation weaver from Anakaputhur. He uses banana plants that are used to decorate temples and deities in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala to create fibres and yarn. His brand, Ananafit also creates yarn from pineapple, bamboo and aloe vera plants. In fact, his current experiments could yield silk yarn from lotus plants!
Internationally, fashion houses like Salvatore Ferragamo have used orange peel to create fabric and Pinatex, which is made from pineapple leaves, is used by H&M, Hugo Boss and Paul Smith.
What are your thoughts on plant-based fabrics? Upload your ideas under ‘Letters to Editor’ on www.robinage.com/ write-to-us.htm
