When it comes to sustainability, many fashion brands end up merely paying lip service to the global trend. When noone is looking, you can find them actually getting their bottom line from underpaid sweatshops, not caring much about how their materials are sourced, and leaving a huge carbon footprint while they’re at it, among other digressions.

Sustainability for some brands in the country, however, goes beyond just the billboards and social media campaigns, and we’re here to honour them with a mention, as they deserve it.

Doodlage By Kriti Tula

Perturbed by just how much material is wasted in the supply lines of big fashion chains (and other factories), Kriti decided to do something about it, and came up with Doodlage.

With a roster that primarily deals in upcycled cottons, with the raw material being factory waste off a wide variety of industries, Doodlage should definitely be on the radar for anyone planning to go 100% sustainable in 2019.

Shop here.

Nicobar By Good Earth

Good Earth is a sustainable luxury home retail brand started by Anita Lal, and is aimed at sourcing from the local craftsmen in various parts of the country to make sure their products are ethically-made.

Nicobar is their fashion arm (though they have quite a bit of home decor and other lifestyle products as well), and much like the parent brand, strives to do right by the environment while they’re designing their products. A lot of their clothes are also quite chic to pull off depending on the occasion, so we’d definitely recommend checking this one out on your next shopping binge.

Shop here. 

No Nasties

One of the biggest questions you’re supposed to ask before going for a supposed sustainability-oriented brand is where they’re sourcing their baseline of materials from. Even if the end product may be made with eco-friendliness and ethical labour in mind, that’s not always true for the bottom line. No Nasties is one brand that makes sure that their products are sustainable from the ground up.

With stringent checks on only sourcing from farms with organic, no-pesticide crops and produced in factories with up-to-the-standard labour norms, everything from these guys is good to buy as far as we’re concerned.Shop here.

Bodice By Ruchika Sachdeva

A graduate from London College of Fashion, Ruchika Sachdeva’s Bodice is still one of the few designer brands in India that sources their weaves from local craftsmen, as well as pay homage to the various arts and crafts traditions of India with the consistently-evolving themes in their collections.

While certainly not on the cheaper side of things, Bodice’s collection is sustainable in the true sense of the word, something you can go over in detail by speaking on the phone/getting in touch with them on their various social media channels before making your purchases.

Check it out here.

Brown Boy

One of the more affordable fashion brands on this list, Brown Boy still doesn’t compromise on the chic; or the sustainable. With a collection that boasts of pieces that would be in place in the ensembles of most high-street brands.

What sets them apart is the sourcing of their materials and craftsmen used to make the clothes; a PETA-approved brand, all of their clothes are made using natural, chemical-free dyes and fabrics. Most of their collection is also a variety of cottons, and they also boast of all of it being strictly made-in-India. Contrary to what the name may suggest, they have an extensive collection for men as well as women.Shop here.

Anokhi

Employing local craftsmen from around the country and making sure to provide them with accommodation as well as employment, Jaipur-based Anokhi strongly believes in the idea of building sustainability right from where the materials are sourced.

A key feature of their clothes is the block prints done up in vegetable dyes, even if you can’t see the actual craftsmen and artists behind the clothes on the shelves. The vibe is inherently ethnic, with colourful motifs and bright colours to provide a refreshing look to your wardrobe. Apart from a nod to sustainability, they’ve also successfully brought the age old practice of block-printing from local traditions in villages to the front shelves of mainstream fashion.

Shop here.

Chola By Sohaya Mishra

Sohaya’s commitment to sustainability features in the inherent theme behind all of Chola’s collection. With a palette that falls strictly on the monochrome, he believes that the combination of black and white is the most organic, sustainable balance in nature, and makes sure to translate that in his collections that have featured on some of the biggest runways of the country.

It isn’t just limited to the spoken theme; all of Chola’s clothes are made from post-consumer waste, making sure that they’re not just leaving a carbon footprint, but also doing their best to erase whatever of it has been left over by other, less responsible practices.

Shop here.