The concept of sustainable fashion is gaining traction in India as people realize that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting, water-intensive, and water-generating industries.

Therefore, there is a leading generation of Indian designers who have now shifted their focus on developing sustainable fashion brands for both men and women, which help in developing the ethical fashion sense of people along with protecting the environment.

Also Read: The Indian Fashion Industry

What Exactly is Sustainable Fashion?

In broader terms, sustainable fashion refers to the clothes and products that use organic materials, dyes, and ways of manufacturing. The clothes that are featured by sustainable fashion brands are made from eco-friendly or recycled fabrics.

In addition to this, a sustainable fashion supports fair trade practices where there is no forced labor, there are reasonable working hours, equal pay to men and women, no child labor or any other sort of discrimination or inequality based on caste, gender, race, etc.

Sustainable fashion brands also abstain from using inks, material, or other ingredients which involve animals and they largely dispute animal testing.

So, here are the top 10 ethical and sustainable fashion brands of India which support ecological development along with developing an aesthetic fashion sense of the individuals.

10 Affordable Sustainable Fashion Brands of India

Below are some sustainable fashion brands of India:

1. Good Earth

The formation of Good Earth first took place in the mind of Anita Lal, who is now the founder of the brand. Good Earth was the result of endless passion and travel journeys in the traditional livelihoods and communities who are primarily artisan indulging in age-old craft traditions.

An extremely visual and creative brand, Good Earth has never failed to conjoin craft with luxury. One is always attracted to the hand block printed bed linens and its stylish range of clothing mixed with a traditional undertone that will always help men look stylish and flawless. No wonder why it has its cult following!

2. Anokhi

Originally based in the culturally significant city of Jaipur, Anokhi is one of the popular sustainable Indian fashion brands which has been in the market for more than 40 years. Known for mixing artisanal textiles with hand block printed designs on a variety of clothing styles, Anokhi’s ethical fashion sense has been successful in attracting people till today.  

3. Nicobar

Who does not love the beauty of the Indian ocean and the idea of a relaxed island? Well, the founders of Nicobar were inspired by this idea and thought of launching this fashion brand. Creative, right?

Its philosophy of designing simple and timeless clothing styles for men and women, home decor products, and travel accessories makes its brand long-lasting and more suitable to a contemporary lifestyle.

4. Fab India

Fab India has been a major part of the sustainable fashion market for the last 50 years. The brand bolsters the craftsmanship of the rural producers to ensure sustainable employment and promote traditional crafts.

The brand covers the clothing range for men and women, homeware, beauty, and food. When it comes to their clothing range, one just couldn’t resist the beauty of intricate hand-stitched details which look fabulous when men wear them.

5. No Nasties

No Nasties has always believed in producing purely organic sustainable clothing which is aesthetic enough to create a stylish capsule wardrobe for men. This is one of the ethical and sustainable fashion brands in India which has positively impacted the workers, consumers, and the environment.

One of the best things about this brand is that whenever a product is sold, it will plant a tree.

6. Doodlage

Sustainable Fashion Brands image widget

This sustainable fashion brand makes garments, accessories, and home products out of scraps of fabric that are generally sourced from other manufacturing units in India. Doodlage has always been successful in making something beautiful, stylish, debonair from something people would throw away.

7. Brown Boy

Prateek Kayan, the founder, and CEO of Brown Boy would never have been able to establish the sustainable brand if he hadn’t left his banking job in New York and returned to India. Brown Boys features a purely vegan and organic collection of hand-printed t-shirts, sweatshirts, yoga pants, and vests for men which have been officially approved by PETA.

8. Chola The Label

Chola The Label is known for its high-end fashion style which is edgy, relaxed, and debonair. The brand was founded by Sohaya Misra who has always believed in conjoining simplicity and soulful design in the clothes that one wears.

The clothes are flowing easily on all the body types and the layering of the separates is flawless. Similar to Doodlage, Chola The Label makes the clothes by recycling the fabrics and using free-cutting methods that ensure minimum wastage.

9. Upasana

Upasana is one of the most ecological and thoughtful sustainable fashion brands of India which focuses on solving social and environmental issues such as unemployment, farmer suicides, pollution, etc through promoting the sustainable fashion brand.

Upasana is always in touch with various farming communities that help them to find eco-friendly alternatives which can prevent wastage. Upasana provides a wide range of dresses with origami styles that will take your breath away once you wear them.

10. Anita Dongre – Grassroots

Another high-end sustainable fashion brand, Anita Dongre is known for the amazing collection of wedding apparel, stylish clothing, and accessories. She has been able to provide steady opportunities to skilled artisan groups through her Grassroots initiative. Although her clothing is well beyond one’s imagination, her clothing brand is indeed one of the successful sustainable Indian fashion brands.

These are some of the highly successful and efficient sustainable fashion brands in India which have created a major positive impact in the fashion industry.

Shifting your focus from the high-end water-intensive fashion brands which deteriorate the environment, to such sustainable fashion brands can help you make a change in the world you live in, n matter how small or huge it is.

In addition to altering your choices and preferences when it comes to buying clothes, you need to also be mindful of your buying practices. How many new clothes do you buy in one month? Is their manufacturing process environmentally harmful, water-intensive? Does it exploit manual labor, take undue advantage of animals?

Also Read: Clothing Brands From India