The Sustainability of the South Asian Wardrobe
In the last couple years, I feel like I haven’t had a single conversation about purchasing new clothes that doesn’t end with me thinking about the S word – sustainability.
Is this purchase sustainable?
What fabric is it made of?
Who made the garment and how much were they paid?
How long do I intend to keep the garment for?
Every one of these questions is equally as important as the other in reference to my Western wardrobe. So why hadn’t I thought about sustainability more with regards to my salwar kameez, lenghas and my excessive collection of colourful dupattas and embroidered shawls?
For a few months now I have seen tweets, tiktoks and Instagram stories of South Asian women admitting that they have piles of clothes that they have only worn once and simply can’t wear again so they sit in the back of the cupboard collecting dust.
Consuming this content is when it finally hit me that I couldn’t relate to that at all, but I don’t dispute the truth of the statements. I know this to be the case for many South Asian women, but I can’t relate because in my community within the UK, people tend to be sustainable. I would be lying if I said that we use that word and that we do it for the environment but the way we treat our clothes is inherently sustainable - unintentionally and effortlessly.
Our community had to be sustainable when it came to clothes, especially first-generation immigrants, because the large majority were not cash rich when they first arrived in the UK. There was absolutely a culture of keeping clothes for a long time, and outfit repeating was never frowned upon. It was sustainable on a completely personal and financial level to reject the notion of over-consumption.
In my immediate and extended family, we didn’t (and still don’t) sell our clothes second-hand as much as we share or even give them to one another so our siblings, cousins, aunties or mums can wear something new to them without the worry of another expense. If the person says that we can keep it because the outfit’s journey with them has ended, we’ll get it tailored to our measurements. We also donate clothes to our local charity shops because they tend to be sent to areas that have a higher South Asian population in the UK so those that may not have the option to buy brand new, at least have the option to purchase something lovely second-hand.
Also, we outfit repeat. Yes, we are outfit repeaters. Is it really such a crime? I attended my cousin’s wedding towards the end of last year, which was wonderful, and a lot of us found ourselves talking about where we last wore the outfit that we were wearing. Some wore their outfit for the first time two decades ago, had worn it on multiple occasions, and could recall every event since. Others wore their outfits as recent as a few months or weeks ago and they shared their stories too. Each event the outfit attends, adds a new layer of fabric to the garment in the form of a memory.
When people pull them out of their wardrobe or even the attic (because we know about the suitcases and laundry bags full of clothes up there), the fit of the kameez or blouse serves as a measurement tool. The areas where the fabric is pulled serving as a reminder not to wear that gold bangle that always catches on the outfit. The clothes emanating the scent of the perfume that was worn daily just two years prior. Why wouldn’t you want to keep the clothes and wear them again?
I attended a mehndi a few years back where women were encouraged to wear their wedding day lenghas. I fell in love with this idea because it allowed so many women to enjoy the outfit they probably paid through the nose for, re-live some special memories, and create new ones in one of the most memorable outfits of their lives.
So, what’s stopping the younger generations being as sustainable with their South Asian wardrobe as the ones before us?
The rental market for South Asian occasion wear is pretty much non-existent and over the years, I have seen a couple of brands in the UK pop up and then quickly close. I am also convinced that the cost of such a service would quickly make renting desi clothes redundant for most people. The biggest costs would stem from the cleaning and delivery charges. Heavily embroidered clothing made from delicate fabrics are hard to maintain and cleaning them in between each rental would be time consuming, costly and potentially damaging for the garment itself over time. Even if they didn’t skip or skimp on the cleaning, how quick would the turnaround be? From a business standpoint, would this be financially viable?
We would also need to address the clothes that would be available as a rental. It’s highly likely that the available clothes would be in generic sizes which tend to range from an XS-XXL. Clothes made in generic sizes are highly likely to be mass produced, therefore, unsustainable and unethical. Also, if you’ve ever worn ready-made South Asian clothes, you’ll know how hit and miss the sizing can be too – is it possible to create a South Asian rental company that is ethical, sustainable and has consistent sizing across the entire range they carry? I’m yet to be convinced. Even if we decided to compromise on the consistent sizing, could you imagine the frustration of customers who may have to rent and return multiple items because of fit issues?
The accessibility of a rental service for the community needs to be considered as does the all-important question, is it worth it? People aren’t at all going to want to use a rental service if the price point to rent an outfit for 3 days would exceed the cost of £150 because it may be easier for the majority to go to Green Street, Southall Broadway or whatever your local equivalent would be, and pick up something brand new. Yes, it’s true that the clothing that would be available to rent would be dearer than the rental price you would be expected to pay, but can you just imagine the conversations between mothers and their daughters that they spent £150 to borrow something for a couple of days when they could have just bought something if they were going to spend the money either way?!
The resell market has also proven itself to be quite limited in its success. There have been a few apps based in the UK and overseas that are targeted towards South Asians reselling garments but again the success and hype tends to be short-lived. Could it be that people are using the app simply to recoup 95% of the price of the original garment (this really does happen), or is it due to the fact that there is no way to know how effectively the garment was, or is going to be cleaned before delivery, or maybe it’s because people in our community simply aren’t up for the idea of wearing second-hand occasion wear?
There are easier ways to be sustainable that don’t necessarily mean you have to rent clothes or buy them second-hand if that’s not something that you want to do or can do. I’ve put together a small guide for my tips on how to have a sustainable South Asian occasion wear wardrobe should you require some ideas:
1. Repeat The Damn Outfit: Build a relationship with your clothes, repeat your outfits with confidence and reminisce on all the other occasions and events you wore it to. It may take a shift in attitude but its worth it to get the most value out of your clothing and to become more sustainable with your consumption, especially if you will only be purchasing fast fashion/ready-to-wear South Asian clothes. It will be better for your wallet, the planet and your conscious.
2. Share with your Community: Swap clothes, give clothes, lend clothes – it could be a friend, a family member or a neighbour. Sharing clothes in one way or another is super sustainable and if you are ready to part ways with an outfit, make sure the recipient knows so they can feel free to take it to their tailor and make alterations. I think this may be one of the most important ones because it is the most achievable with little to no inconvenience at all.
3. Custom-Made, Self-Made or Tailored: Make sure the pieces you own accentuate your shape in the way you like, reflect your personal style, or repurpose them or alter them if they don’t. This could mean you’re taking pieces from your existing wardrobe and getting them tailored. It could also mean buying fabric and sitting in front of the sewing machine until you come away with a piece that you will cherish. And sometimes, it may mean preparing a design, sourcing fabric trim and notions and handing it over to a proficient tailor. Whatever you decide, make sure you adore every outfit so that you will re-wear them, love them and look after them for a long time.
4. Maintain your Garments: Extend the life of your clothing by investing your time and money into their maintenance. A garment with silverwork will need to be wrapped in tissue paper and kept in a vacuum sealed bag for longevity, garments with heavy embroidery may need to be ironed inside out only or sometimes not at all, whereas other garments will need to be steamed. You might need to spot clean or hand wash… you get the point! Do your research and take it seriously because extending the life of your garments by taking care of them is also what will allow you to wear them for longer and help you share them or pass them on to the next generation.
5. Eliminate Ready-to-Wear (or at least buy as little of it as possible): Ultimately, if you’re serious about not having once worn clothes around your house, or clothes that you have little appreciation or attachment to, it’s worth cutting ready-to-wear. That’s not to say those clothes can’t hold a special memory for you but they’ll usually be first to go in the event of a wardrobe clear-out. They tend to be the least worn, least cherished and the most wasteful. This does not apply if anything other than ready-to-wear is not in your budget. This is a tip for those who have the spare cash and time to get custom garments made so this won’t work for everyone and that’s okay! Just ensure that your garments are well-loved and looked after regardless to extend the longevity of the item.
6. Be Intentional: …and make your purchases make sense! If you know that for certain wedding events you like a certain colour or style, then purchase or make outfits that you feel special in, that really make your soul happy and that you commit to keeping for a long time. Then, when you’re invited to those events, you can cycle through the handful that fit the bill and enjoy. And have fun with it! Curate your very own capsule collection of wedding outfits, outfits suitable for engagements, baby showers, etc. You don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe for this part either, you can just reorganise and add in a couple of key pieces here and there when you need to. Buy only what you need, when you need it, ensuring the outfit or piece is of quality and made ethically. Remember to opt for less trendy outfits and purchase or make those that lean towards your personal sense of style so that for you and your wardrobe, they will be timeless.
7. Keep a Record: You need to know what you own and where you have stored it as this will allow you to utilise your wardrobe to the fullest. You can do this in the way that is easiest to you (excel spreadsheet, word document, polaroids…), but I have found a method that will take a long afternoon… okay fine, maybe a weekend but it will be worth it in the end. The first step is to review your clothing inventory and reorganise. Whilst doing this, take a picture of each item or outfit you are keeping. Utilise a label maker, or organisation cubes, or whatever will help you identify the different areas of your wardrobe with ease. As you make your way through this process, organise the images into albums via location (such as an album called clothes in orange suitcase) so you can easily refer back to them. If you have an iPhone, on each image, hit the little information button at the bottom which allows you to add a caption. The information in the caption is searchable so I highly recommend adding a description of the outfit or piece of clothing in the image alongside an event it is suitable for. You’ll end up with multiple ways to search for clothes (by album name, event suitability, colour, style, etc), it will save you time physically searching for clothes, and you will utilise more of your wardrobe because there is less of a chance of forgetting about outfits that are stored away.
8. Be Realistic: Lastly, I think it’s important to note that some of the things listed above may be unrealistic for some people. You don’t have to do all of them and if I had to recommend just two to get started with, it would be to repeat your outfits and share your clothes with your community. Those are two simple things that are incredibly sustainable, budget friendly and not at all time-consuming. Don’t pressure yourself to do anything that you can’t do or would be a stretch for you to do. Sometimes we have the best intentions, but it can be hard to accomplish our sustainability goals for a variety of reasons. It’s okay.
Those are just a few things to think about before we say “thank you – next” to the pieces in our wardrobe because our clothes are, quite literally, the fabric of our lives.