Tailor-made for sustainability

Model in Pooja Khanna and blabel.in

The reason why some customers haven't shifted to shopping online for clothes is that they are unsure about the fitting and the fabric. People are also gravitating towards sustainable options since fashion is the second-most polluting industry. But some websites that are open to customising their pieces and practising sustainable fashion are making a difference. Here are our top three picks.

1. Measuring up

When city-based fashionista Pooja Khanna observed that the market didn't have sustainable options that could be adapted to suit the Indian body type, she started her own venture that uses sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, bamboo fabric and azo-free natural dyes. The website allows you to submit your measurements and add preferences. "Not every body type fits a standard S, M or L size. Indian body types can have a medium leg length but a small upper body. That is why our fabrics also come with elastic on the sides of trousers and lining on shirts, which make them practical," says Khanna.

Log on to wearvenn.com

2. Size matters

A page from Leesha Agarwal's site; (top) a model in her clothes

Another problem is that India doesn't have its own size chart and we follow the UK/US, observes fashion designer Leesha Agarwal. "Their body types are different from ours. So, we always have enough margin in all our garments to make it a size bigger, and also adjust the length or sleeves because a garment only looks good if you are comfortable in it," she tells us about her website, which only has clothes made with pure handloom cotton sourced directly from artisans, a lesson she learnt while in fashion school.

Log on to adahbyleesha.com

3. High on fashion

And if organically cultivated and carbon-negative hemp is the fabric of your choice, then this website is offering designs that can be tweaked beyond just the size. They will add embroidery designing and patchwork on sleeves, and tweak the garment's cut or flow if customers want that.

Log on to blabel.in

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