Premal Badiani pioneers sustainable fashion

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jan 11, 2018

The Indian fashion designer Premal Badiani is pioneering sustainable fashion by using textiles made from plant pulp for her designs.

Premal Badiani, an Indian fashion designer who has relocated her business operations to New York, is focusing on both ethics and sustainability in her designs as the fashion industry continues to move towards more eco-friendly norms.

Speaking about her latest collection, Badiani said: “I decided to work with sustainable fashion to put together a collection which I would be proud of. We all have the power to be influencers and make choices that are environmentally, socially, and ethically conscious.” However, Badiani knows that, whilst creating sustainable collections is a step in the right direction, it is not sufficient. “We need celebrities to show off these clothes and also talk about them because we hope that this will get the masses to emulate them,” she said.

For her latest collection, Badiani mostly used fabric made from plant pulp which both recycles the plant pulp itself and also eliminates the need for certain harmful chemicals that pollute the environment. She also chose an array of models for her autumn/ winter 2017/2018 runway show that included breast cancer survivors, those undergoing treatment, and a model with downs syndrome, showing that aesthetics can mix in harmony with more inclusive and ethical business practices.

This winter festive season, Badiani showcased her evening wear designs at the Gyans boutique’s winter event in Saket. Last December also saw Badiani, who founded her label in 2013, stock her designs at Chennai’s Tifara boutique and Mumbai’s Kimaya boutique.