Clothes Maketh the Man. A proverb is as old as human civilization. Clothing has always held an integral role in our society. However, with recent developments in technology and the globalisation of goods, we have become hooked on consuming more than what we require. Buying clothes used to be something we did as a treat, for special occasions, a few times a year, has now turned into a never-ending barrage of online orders, fuelled by the toxic fast fashion industry, the polar antonym of Sustainable Fashion.
In the last two decades not only has the textile industry doubled production but also the average global annual consumption of textiles has almost doubled from 7 to 13 kg per person and has reached the threshold of 100 million tonnes of textiles consumption. The value of the global fashion industry is 3000 billion dollars which accounts for more than 2% of the world’s Gross Domestic Product. This value would not be so if the environmental costs of such unsustainable practices were taken into account. Out of the entire percentage of products created, more than two-thirds of the textile end up in landfills at the end of their use and just a meagre 15% is recycled or even upcycled.
Humankind needs to slow down from this endless run and learn to walk, at pace with our true needs, begin serious investments in sustainable fashion. The textile industry must assume a prominent role in the sustainability movement and find ways to stop its enormous generation of waste and pollution. Learning to live in the middle ground is the challenge, where we cannot go back to wearing animal skin, but also not take our resources for granted while satiating our every possible whim and itchy trigger finger on that “Place Order” button.
We can do this, by learning to slow down and taking sustainable fashion seriously. Sure, it takes a little more time and effort than mainstream consumerism, but the ripple caused due to our decision has significant effects. We can start slow. While purchasing your next apparel set, pay attention to where it is made, what fabric is it made from, and how far it traversed to land up in your doorstep.
At Rimagined, we have paid the utmost attention to our Apparel range. Being the massive polluter it is, the textile industry has major value when you know where to look for it, and that is exactly what we have done! Precious textiles diverted from ending up in landfills and incinerators are given a new lease of life by upcycling, a new movement for sustainable fashion!
Our design process is completely different from that of mainstream fashion houses.
When creating, say, a cotton dress for women, what they do is:
Conceptualise Design – Acquire Materials – Produce Cotton Dress.
What we do is:
Acquire Material – Conceptualise Design – Produce Cotton Dress.
We are required by the very nature of our process to slow down and pay attention to the details. A lot of energy is poured into the conceptualization of our Apparel range. Working mainly with natural fabrics such as cotton and linen, we hope to help bring about the movement of slow, sustainable fashion in India.
Working with cotton material of the finest quality, we ensure that our designs are as efficient as they are fashionable because we strive to maintain our low waste process. In the same sphere of low or even zero waste processes, we have achieved a near-impossible feat of creating upcycled stoles from waste cotton yarn! It is a highly time-consuming affair wherein the loose cotton yarn is collected, sorted and put on a charka to create long lengths, in spools to be put back onto handlooms to create some truly unbelievable stoles.
The upcycled clothing pieces we create are often one of a kind, as there is a limited amount of material to be upcycled into a beautiful cotton dress design and colourful cotton tops and supple cotton stoles. When do we say upcycled clothing, most often the imagery of our minds goes straight to a patchwork-boho kinda thing, right? Well, that is its own kind of gorgeous, no doubt. But we wanted to create a range of clothing that can be placed in a rack at your high-end fashion store without batting an eyelid.
Our upcycled cotton dresses and cotton tops are perfect for this merciless summer sun. In colours and designs that will perk up your closet for these long summer days, we are especially proud of our upcycled range of apparel.
Our upcycled clothing is often created as a capsule range, given the nature of our process. This capsule range was created entirely out of Mangalagiri cotton, refuse from textile factories. Drawing its name from the town Mangalagiri in Andhra Pradesh, this age-old fabric has been ceaselessly crafted by traditional weavers for the past 500 years. A pure cotton weave, this fabric is a perfect summer pick for it is the softest and light cotton variation, no holds barred.
Here are some suggestions as to how you can style our upcycled clothing!
- Our Cotton Dress designs make it the perfect outfit to wear as is, or layer up with cotton stoles for ladies! Try pairing our A-Line Dress with the Plain and Stripes – Cotton Stole! Wear it draped around your neck or tie it around your waist for a DIY belt look.
- How about some vibrant Reversible Jackets with our classic block-coloured upcycled cotton dresses for ladies? Check out this combo! The V-Neck Sleeveless Long Dress with our Asymmetric Reversible Jacket, the rustic undertone of the dress will bring out the vivid hues and subtle patterns of the upcycled reversible jacket!
- You can also pair the Balloon Dress with the Ikkat Reversible Jacket, try it and give us a shout-out if you like it!
- The Upcycled Button Down Dress is perfect to wear with cotton palazzo pants and closed shoes for a chic indo-western look!
- Summer goes hand in hand with the colour yellow, doesnโt it? We bring you our yellow summer vibe with the Light-Yellow Linen Tunic, which can be worn with a long skirt, with fitting pants or even shorts on the beach! Our Sleeveless Pleated Yoke Top in yellow is also a summertime favourite, and can effortlessly transition between Western wear and indo-chic wear!
- Can we interest you in owning exclusive pieces, in an already limited range of upcycled clothing?
Here are a few items made, as a single piece, that cannot be replicated ever again. The Cotton Long Sleeves top – Off White is the singular item that should be in every woman’s closet – a simple white top! The Pin Tuck Cotton top is one of our favourite designs, as it looks so chic and light, perfect for that brunch date with friends! - Our Sleeveless Top available in multiple colours is our ode to simplicity. Pair this with literally anything you are in the mood for and it.will.work!
- Throw it on with a pair of capri pants; work it with straight pants or palazzos, even pleated shirts will work with this versatile number! Wear as is, or layer up with our cotton Stoles, also available in an array of colours and patterns, you can never get sick of wearing these cotton tops for summer vibes!
So, before you click “order now” to purchase cotton dresses online from those big brand-named fashion houses, you should consider how one-second look at upcycled options would be better for you and our planet in the long run. Not to mention, as a material that is usually woven for sarees, these Mangalangiri cotton upcycled clothing are truly unique in make and design, giving you a one-of-a-kind treasure, a valuable addition to your closet!