I first fell in love with textiles and fashion when I saw my grandma and aunties make the most elaborate dresses for my birthdays, festivals, and holidays. They were single-handedly responsible for making me experience the transformative emotions embedded in clothes. I stood out from the crowd. I felt beautiful, loved, presentable, and confident as a little girl. I could tell them what I wanted, and they could make it happen. Sometimes, the dresses were even better than I had imagined.

Fast forward to 2024, I have a career in fashion and textiles, the two loves of my life.

Most girls from South Asia can share a similar story. They might not have a career in fashion, but they have that one suitcase at home with clothes they have fancied for a long time. There is no label in there that the Western world would value. Instead, it is filled with intricate saris, shawls, colorful, sparkly wedding ensembles, and hand-stitched pieces made by our ancestorial communities. Besides being breathtakingly beautiful, these clothes represent numerous sustainability values, which the Western world – increasingly reliant on fast fashion, online shopping, and bulk buying – can learn from. These values have been passed onto generations, and despite being part of a very wasteful planet, they keep over two billion South Asians as the population with the lowest carbon footprint from clothing (The World Bank, 2022) (Wohlgemuth, 2022). 

Simply put, approximately 25% of the world’s South Asian population has more sustainable clothing practices than the Western 15% (Textile Mountain Film, 2020). 

Here are ten lessons in sustainability that the world can learn from South Asians:

1. Clothes made with love and emotional connection are worth more than their material value

The IKEA effect refers to a cognitive bias that explains how humans tend to place higher value on things they helped to build or create.

South Asia has a tailoring-heavy culture. Women and men are involved in all stages of the garment-making process. They pick the fabric, details, and the desired look for their clothes, making them emotionally involved in the process. This involvement increases the intrinsic valuation of garments, and people tend to keep wearing them longer.

2. You can’t go wrong with white and black in your wardrobe.

The most sustainable clothes are the ones already in our wardrobe. South Asians have mastered the art of pairing every color with white or black coordinates. One glance at any celebration, festival, mourning, or wedding can confirm this.

When building a wardrobe, it is wise to invest in high-quality basics such as black and white trousers, shirts, and jackets. They can be equally useful for dressing up or down. They also minimize the need to stuff the wardrobe with matching coordinates, which helps to reduce overconsumption.

3. It is not old… it’s  a limited-edition vintage

South Asians have mastered the art of shopping from their elder’s closets during festivals and weddings. It not only adds a significant sentimental value to festivities but also reduces the costs of making new clothes. That’s why vintage clothing in South Asia is not very accessible. Not because we don’t have it. It is simply hard to get hold of.

Remember that suitcase in every home? It is filled with clothing pieces curated through generations. They hold the memories and hard work of our elders. Some of those skills and intricacy are hard to find now. These clothes are every bride’s dream, and it is fun to revive them.

4. If it is broken, repair it

Clothing Repair vendors are as valuable in South Asia as designers and tailors. They fix everything from food stains to holes to restoring fading dyes. They make it easier to invest in long-term delicates like cashmere, silk, or pashmina because repair support is easily available and minimizes the need for polyester-based alternatives that cost the environment much more than their price tag.

5. Repurposing is the gold standard

A garment is not discarded until its full potential has been utilized. Torn jeans become shorts, shorts turn into rags, rags into mops. Each garment takes on its own life and eventually gets to waste in some other form than its’ original shape. This repurposing keeps the garments in circulation for a long time and aids their natural decomposition. 

6. Craft is King

In South Asia, a garment is sold not only because it is from a certain designer label. It is sold because of its unique craftsmanship. Artisans and their generational knowledge form a big part of the collective fashion landscape.

This sense of worth is important for the health and sustainment of communities whose generations have practiced ingenious crafts for centuries.

7. Wear local. Wear Homegrown

Small businesses and niche labels in South Asia contribute to 80% of clothing sales. There is a big focus on homegrown exclusivity. People support local businesses over corporations because it gives them a sense of exclusivity and helps their creative friends realize their dreams. It builds community and resilience in local industries.

8. Simple, handmade, and loved

Numerous studies suggest that globally detached retail is responsible for an average item of clothing in the West being worn only seven times before being discarded.

99% of the world’s clothing is made or grown by hand, and most clothing made in South Asia makes this handmade quality visible. From a simple cotton shirt to block printing, yarn dyeing and pashmina, the users have an emotional link to the maker and labour, amplifying the average clothing item use to 120 times.

9. Donate it in an enjoyable condition.

The clothes that qualify for donation after repurposing or repair mostly get donated in a condition that is still enjoyable for the user. Extending the life of the clothing further after its first life.

10. Care comes first

The last thing you will find in a South Asian household for protecting clothes is a plastic clothes bag. South Asians are notorious for preserving delicate fabrics through proper care and material protocol. You will find pashmina encased in a cheesecloth sack. Whites being hand washed, embroidered clothes washed inside out, and bright dyes drying in the shade. There are all sorts of tailored care scaffoldings, and plastic is not one of them. It is only used where metalwork on clothes can tarnish because of moisture.

The world’s clothing giants continue to put the responsibility on users to make conscious consumption choices to grapple with sustainability issues such as overproduction, overconsumption, landfilling, and biodiversity loss. It is time for the world to learn from regions like South Asia, which have played their part for centuries in making and preserving beautiful clothes.