An exclusive panel discussion on the vital role Indian fashion designers and businesses play in promoting Next Gen material innovation and circular fashion was hosted by Canopy, the solutions-driven environmental not-for-profit, in association with Lakmé Fashion Week and Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).
Alternatives to traditional wood-based paper, paper packaging, and textiles that employ materials that would otherwise be burned or dumped in landfills are known as Next Gen Solutions. Future-proof supply networks for fashion businesses, improved livelihoods for farmers and textile collectors, and forest preservation are all made possible by next-generation materials.
The discussion, which was moderated by writer Namrata Zakaria, included Canopy Executive Director Nicole Rycroft, renowned Indian fashion designer Amit Aggarwal, sustainable fashion star Urvashi Kaur, and Sara Sozzani Maino, former Head of Vogue Talent and Creative Director of Fondazione Sozzani.
Given its rich textile tradition, entrepreneurial culture, technical know-how, and copious amounts of textile and agricultural waste, panellists emphasised India’s immense potential to spearhead the global fashion industry’s shift to more circular materials. They discussed how Indian designers are producing high-style, low-impact textiles by combining innovative Next Gen materials with centuries-old processes. Along with requests for increased transparency and cooperation throughout the value chain, Canopy’s role in introducing designers and brands to these innovative forest-free alternatives was highlighted.
India has a great chance to be an early production hub of Next Gen materials for the global fashion industry as well as for its designers and brands to set the pace for sustainability, remarked Canopy Founder and Executive Director, Nicole Rycroft.
