I spent 3 weeks in Delhi on a work trip and spent most of my free time learning about fabrics (a few exhibitions), looking at shops ect. Here are a few things I took away that impressed me. Obviously caveated that this based on my experience and is limited.
1) people care so much more about fabric and craftsmanship. People were buying clothes based on the fabric, weave, hand craft technique and region it was made in. I contrast to where I live in the Uk and material seems to Come second to design. The pride in fabric was so inspiring to me! There were a few government exhibitions dedicated to regional fabric crafts.
2) everyone I met had a relationship with a tailor. It is very common to buy material and have what you want made. Nearly all saris come with unstiched blouses. This is much better for sustainability. It is also common to leave a few inches for outfits to be let out in future.
3) lots of Indian designers make clothes to order and allow you to customise to your measurements. This takes a bit longer but I was so pleasantly surprised! I would love for this to be more common at home. I had a gorgeous dress made from silk and it fits beautifully and is going to last me many years.
Obviously the most sustainable option is not to buy anything else but buying a few good quality items, making them last and really loving them is great to see.
I did notice that middle class Indians don’t seem to do much vintage/second hand shopping. I love Vinted and charity shops in the UK but Indian colleagues didn’t think they had anything similar.
Submitted November 20, 2025 at 07:03AM by Kittykittycatcat1000 https://ift.tt/RepY83b
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