Anita Dongre coaches Scottish fashion students on sustainability

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 11, 2018

A group of 32 students from the University of Edinburgh (UoE) joined students from the Indian School of Design and Innovation (ISDI) for a Sustainable Fashion Trek and, as part of the immersive experience, Anita Dongre coached them on sustainable fashion.

The week-long sustainable fashion tour was organised by Dr Winston Kwon, UoE Chancellor’s Fellow, and Amrita Sadarangani, UoE regional director of South Asia. House of Anita Dongre’s founder and designer, Anita Dongre herself, took part in the event and welcomed the students at her headquarters at Navi Mumbai to explain how she runs her five fashion brands on the principles of sustainability, Vogue reported.

Dongre showed the students her headquarters and the design and manufacturing process for her Grassroot brand, which is both sustainable and raft-based. The students also visited Dongre’s Khar West flagship store to see the end result of Dongre’s sustainable process. The students were given a first-hand look at the weaving process during a visit to Palghar, which is where Grassroot garments are woven.

The students also visited cotton fields in Gujarat, the Artisans’ gallery in Kala Ghoda for a textile workshop by founder Radhi Parikh, and the Technocraft factory in Murbad, Maharashtra, where cotton is woven and spun.

The UoE trip to India to learn about sustainability illustrates how India is fast becoming known in the global fashion industry for sustainability. Dongre is one of a group of designers who are promoting sustainable textiles in the luxury fashion market and increased international projects, such as the Sustainable Fashion Trek and Dongre’s decision to open two flagship stores in the US in the past year, points to India becoming a global authority on sustainable fashion.