Sustainable fashion, alternatively labelled as eco fashion, is a global movement based on design and trend philosophy of sustainability. It lays emphasis on creating a system that brings down the human impact on the environment and social responsibility.

With many leading fashion houses, labels and designers coming to the forefront, the movement has truly gained global impetus and is now seeing emergence of various platforms, drives and summits on similar lines.
Copenhagen Fashion Week is one such summit that is crusading the sustainability aspect of fashion industry. Held every year in May, the summit sees various stakeholders that come together to address the most critical environmental, societal and ethical issues that the industry faces.

Pallavi Yadav, a recent fashion graduate from Pearl Academy, Delhi was at this year’s edition of Copenhagen Fashion Week and Youth Fashion Summit.
Pallavi, an ardent believer of sustainable fashion, was amongst 111 students from across 36 countries, and below is her narrative of the experience.

I recently graduated as a fashion designer, let’s say the love for design would lead to discovering myself in an understatement. Sustainability in life or design is not a phase for me. It is here, and it will stay. It defines who I am.
My introduction to ‘Sustainable Fashion’ was all out of curiosity. I was intrigued by the processes in the fashion industry and then unknowing the repercussions was just so 20th century.
Recently, I was in Copenhagen, Denmark for The Copenhagen Fashion Summit and the Youth Fashion Summit amongst other 111 students from 36 countries. We all had been brought together as collaborators to work, discuss and then demand the corporations of the industry to be Empathetic, Transparent and True in their value chain. Giving the life of all stakeholders of the value chain priority concerning health and well-being and also ensuring that there is equality in the value chain.

The Youth Fashion Summit was working with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 3, Health and Well Being for all and SDG 5, Gender equality. We aimed to address these problems and provide solutions that could be brought about in the value chain. Solutions that could be used by these corporations, the major stakeholders in the industry.

The sustainable fashion industry doesn’t run on ego, and all one has to do is ask for help. Mention and own up to the fact that the system is broken and needs a change. There will be fleet of people ready to help.
We are at crossroads, where we have the opportunity to change our future. It can go either way. But I like being positive and still have faith in humanity, and I know we won’t let it all go down.
Carole Collet, a professor from Central Saint Martins said, “in the 21st-century technology is limitless, nature is not.”

Pallavi Yadav
UG Fashion Design, Pearl Academy