Farm-to-closet, organic clothing, made-to-order: take away the buzz from these words and in their simplest sense, they reflect the traditional clothing practices of indigenous communities and centuries-old civilizations.
Sustainable fashion solutions may be planted firmly in the future, but they are an ode to the past traditions of indigenous people. As green innovations intended to make fashion more circular get funded, it’s important to remember that there was once a time, not too long ago, when fast fashion was slow fashion and all fashion was environmentally safe.
Naturally-dyed, handwoven fabrics became tailor-made biodegradable garments. Clothing rarely had an expiration date as it was passed on between generations and repaired until worn out. While in some parts of the world, such traditions are still preserved, in others, these practices now form the basis of ethical design and sustainable business models.
Indigenous knowledge preaches harmony with nature
From tribes in the Amazon and South Asian mountainous regions to communities in Latin America and Africa, the traditional know-how of indigenous people is hyper-localised. What’s more, it is completely reliant on nature and consuming within limits. While sustainability may be a relatively new term to the modern world, in these communities the concept is a tale as old as time, (though it has been under threat since the dawn of industrialisation).
Indigenous communities are at the helm of preserving nature’s finite resources. With rising opportunities in the global fashion scene, they are incorporating their practices into their own fashion labels. Native American Woodland Cree designer Dusty LeGrande, founder of streetwear brand Mobilize, shares, “As Indigenous communities, we have always lived in balance with Mother Earth. We have had to sustain our techniques, and culture through stories and designs; this continues today. The industry is beginning to move in the right direction: The corporate nature of fashion must be flushed out to honour the communities we exist in, and to promote local sustainability.”
Similarly, First Nations designer Tania Larsson (Gwich’in) says, “In my culture, we are taught to never take more than you need, as it can affect the natural balance and have dire consequences for your whole community. My Indigenous values are the pillars of my business model.”
Sustainability is (no longer) appropriating indigenous know-how
Let’s face it: some of the most effective solutions have been right under our noses. For example, the globally trending movement of ‘regenerative fashion’ is hardly ground-breaking. Rooted in ancient agricultural methods, it was practised long before industrialisation brought in synthetic fertilisers to support mono-cropping. Similarly, brands focused on creating compostable clothing are struggling to perfect garments that can completely biodegrade into soil within months of disposal. However, 100% organic fabrics and natural fastenings such as wood and straw buttons are far from original.
At last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, direct engagement between indigenous peoples, local communities, and governments helped establish sustainable means to achieve the Paris Agreement commitments. For the first time in the history of the UNFCCC, 28 indigenous peoples were nominated, one from each of the 7 UN indigenous socio-cultural regions, to engage directly as knowledge holders and share experiences as indigenous experts with governments. This recent move in acknowledging the role on indigenous people in mitigating climate change was preceded by UNESCO’s Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems programme (LINKS). It was set up to promote and include these communities in the global climate science and policy processes.
IMAGE: via New Canadian Media| IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week 2019 – models dressed in designer labels
Representation in the global fashion scene
Even in the fashion industry, movements to recognise cultural cues from indigenous communities across the globe are strengthening. For too long now, the space has overlooked or appropriated the contributions of Indigenous people – from prints and weaves to leatherwork and beadwork, designers and brands from Anthropologie to Isabel Marant have come under scrutiny for borrowing design codes without giving due credit. According to Glossy, the market for indigenous inspired accessories is in the ballpark of $4 billion – but unfortunately dominated by non-indigenous designers.
However, in a bid to erase this blind spot, partnerships between established brands and Native American artists are brewing. Channelling the industry-wide call for diversity and inclusivity, Gabriela Hearst collaborated with First Nations Navajo textile artist Naiomi Glasses and cast Hän Gwich’in model-activist Quannah Chasinghorse in her show. Chasinghorse has since also walked the runway for names like Chloé, Jonathan Simkhai, and Chanel. Further, the last few years have also seen the launch of Indigenous Fashion Weeks in Canada and Australia. Through social media commerce and activism, native designers are finding means to showcase their approach to fashion and share their indigenous know-how on building sustainable and planet-friendly consumption habits.
IMAGE: via Angel Chen| IMAGE DESCRIPTION: AW22 Lookbook – three models in the desert, one atop a Camel, styled in Angel Chen outerwear
Adopting the sustainable concept of Farm-to-Closet
Embracing the farm-to-closet business model is basically converting to localised production; a concept intrinsic to indigenous communities and tribes. From growing the plant-based fibre and spinning yarn to weaving fabric and naturally dyeing it, each step in the process is rooted in the practices of local communities. Think indigo, root and berry-based dyeing from villages in India and Vietnam to create fabric from tree barks and banana fibres. Barkcloth is a textile from Uganda, made from the fibres of Moraceae plants – created by gently beating the bark until it becomes thin and elastic. Emerging designer Juliana Nasasira presented a collection using this traditional material at Kampala Fashion Week last year.
Angel Chen launched her eponymous label in 2014 with the aim to preserve century-old techniques in rural China. The designer collaborates with minority groups in Guizhou, one of the poorest provinces in China, to create modern silhouettes using traditional weaving and dyeing techniques. Blues and beiges are obtained by naturally dyeing with indigo, soil, and gardenia flowers, and each collection is grown, spun, woven, and dyed by hand, sans electrical input.
Similarly inclined, Kelly Wang Shanahan launched her label Ziran, for ethical silk pieces. The brand uses 500-year-old techniques passed down over generations and works with xiang yun sha silk, sourced exclusively from a small village in China. The silk is dyed naturally with Chinese yam juice, coated with iron-rich mud from the river beds, and dried in the sun. The process is repeated multiple times to create wrinkle-resistant, anti-microbial fabric for clothing.
IMAGE: via Ziran| IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Xiang yun sha silk being dyed in Chinese yam juice
Business models rooted in age-old tradition: Made-to-Order & Mend-it culture
Tailor-made clothes-on-demand and repairing damaged garments both date back to pre-industrialization times. However, brands are ticking boxes of circularity and zero-waste by feeding these ago-old habits to new age conscious consumers. In countries like India, tailor-made clothing from small neighbourhood boutiques is still a very dominant culture. The scraps left behind from garment construction are often repurposed or sold to recycling units.
The made-to-order model requires consumers to purchase fashion pre-production, cutting out overstock that might end up in landfills. Zoltan Csaki, founder of made-to-order brand Citizen Wolf says, “Citizen Wolf was set up to prove and validate an entirely new, but in some ways a very old, way of making clothes at scale, which is made-to-order, custom fitted pieces to the person that’s going to wear it. We have zero overproduction. For all of human history, clothes were made to fit the body of the person that was going to wear them—that all sort of went out the window because there was this new thing called mass production.”
Mending and repairing apps are also taking the fashion-tech sphere by storm, especially in the UK. Sojo connects users to local seamstresses and delivers items to be altered between clients and tailors. Similar apps include Restory, Clothes Doctor, and Make Nu, among others.
Fusing innovation with indigenous knowledge
When brands find the right balance between traditional practices and innovation, impact is afoot. Case in point: Sruti Dalmia, an Indian designer who runs a made-to-order business on Fox Holt. With a focus on waste reduction, she partners with two local upcycling centres that convert all fabric scraps from production into upcycled yarn using their technology. This yarn is re-spun into fabric for more made-to-order pieces.
Undoubtedly, innovation in sustainable fashion has brought us shiny new toys like plant-based leather and erasable dye. However, not everything that glitters is gold – zero waste is not zero emission, and digital fashion creates little impact if it is used to fuel social media’s need for futuristic fashion on screen only.
FEATURE IMAGE: via Pexels| IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Indigenous community members styled in traditional clothing in a grassland
