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How Women From Rural Bengal Have Embraced Slow Fashion And Contribute To The Indian Textile Industry

Behind The Scenes | The Lesser Turned Pages

India is an incredible country. In true sense, in every sense. There’s so much variety on offer, you will be driven crazy. Be it the human resources or the flora and fauna, India is magnificently beautiful. When we have a close look at its rich history of culture and lifestyle, we simply get amazed by the sheer vastness. Truly, it upholds and celebrates the notion of ‘unity in diversity’ in the most impeccable manner.

If we try to read between the lines of the long saga of fashion and lifestyle in this part of the world, we will be overjoyed to find out the amount of contributions the women have made to the textile industry over the centuries. It is often said that ‘what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow’. Quite aptly, Bengal has shown the way towards what we call ‘slow fashion’ today – sustainable, eco-friendly fashion gears and accessories. Let’s flip through the lesser turned pages of history and try to unfold the story behind the scenes.

Om Shanti

The dreamland of Asia’s first Nobel laureate happens to be a stronghold of slow fashion since ages. Rabindranath Tagore himself inspired numerous individuals and many generations to go the green way. Thus, he turned out to be a pioneer in guiding the ‘slow fashion’ movement at Shantiniketan. Near the banks of Khowai river, one can find the famous Shonibarer Haat,which sets up every Saturday afternoon, decked up with beautifully handcrafted fashion gears and accessories made by the local artisans. Visitors from every nook and corner of the world, come to this delightful sight, as it’s placed at a throwaway distance from Visva-Bharati, one of the notable institutions of education, art and culture. It was the dream project of Tagore himself. And his brainchild carries his legacy and upholds the ideals and values of the versatile genius. One can have some fascinating collections of Indian ethnic wear, mostly weaved by rural women, near the Sonajhuri forest.

These women, living at the fringes of the society, toil day in and day out, with all their blood and sweat, to create some of the finest artworks. All of these products speak volumes about sustainability, elegance and natural beauty. Alike the ones who handcraft them with love, the creations too are quite down to earth. You will also find gorgeously colourful, eco-friendly jute bags amidst the festivity – an absolute pleasure to the eyes. The colours of joy and the emotions carved on the rustic faces, will soothe your heart for sure. These subaltern women from India embraced slow fashion some centuries back and contributes to the Indian textile industry in a great deal. Their hard work is helping the society to reduce the global textile waste and check the menace called plastic pollution to a great extent.

On the auspicious occasion of International Working Women’s Day, Ecolook India salutes these silent warriors, who are igniting the slow fashion revolution in India by making innumerable people go the green way. India’s most trusted slow fashion brand, Ecolook, continues to support these sheroes and offers them a global platform, which they are desperately in need of. One has to take a note of the fact that, most them are the sole wage earners of their respective families and after the pandemic finding it extremely difficult to make both ends meet despite being sheerly gifted artisans. The green startup from Kolkata, invites you to join its pledge to make India green again through creating mass awareness about the ill-effects of fast fashion, the very need to drift towards slow fashion and turn the customers into conscious consumers. They deserve a big pat on their back for popularizing sustainable jute bags and make people shun the usage of single use plastic bags. Click ecolook.in to have a look at their wonderful creations dipped in magic and bolster the slow fashion movement by placing your order today itself.

Be Stylish And Responsible At The Same Time With Ecolook: Presenting Eco Wallets That Can Win Hearts

Introduction

Ecolook, which happens to be India’s most trusted slow fashion brand, has recently introduced its exclusive collection of premium wallets. The green lifestyle start-up, a brainchild of famed tax advisor Sujoy Maitra and led by its abled CEO, Khusboo Kr. Singh, has done wonders in the last couple of years in checking the textile pollution to a great extent. Through their conscious steps serious progress has been made in terms of giving plastic pollution a serious reality check, in the recent times. Their wide range of supreme quality eco-friendly, sustainable products have managed to win hearts across India along with accolades and laurels around the entire Indian subcontinent. The latest collection of genuine leather wallets from the house of Ecolook has grabbed the eyeballs in the fashion industry and beyond. Here’s a glimpse of its elegant, classy, long lasting eco-wallets which will leave you awestruck.

1. Cherry Lined Trifold Wallet

This classy black wallet has a beautiful cherry red line, which makes it even more elegant. Made up entirely with ethically sourced 100% genuine leather, these tri-fold wallets for men are absolutely amazing. The exclusive cherry lined trifold wallet from the house of Ecolook, offers you an array of compartments – a brilliant example of space management. You can easily carry all your essentials effortlessly – credit cards, debit cards, identity cards, pan card, aadhaar card, metro smart card, railway smart card etc. There is a specially designed folder to keep your coins. Most importantly, you can keep the increasing digital theft at bay thanks to its RFID protection. It doesn’t affect nature as it’s sustainable and comes at a very reasonable price. Hence, it’s a must buy!

2. Tan Tri Fold Wallet

Made completely from ethically sourced 100% natural buff vintage dark brown leather, this tan tri fold wallet is a must choice for your near and dear ones. It deserves heaps of praise for its impeccable space management. Carrying your cards will seem effortless. The elegant design speaks volumes about sheer class and rare style. You don’t need to bother about the possibility of digital thefts, as it offers the all-important RFID protection. This is eco-friendly, long lasting and can be grabbed at a very reasonable price. It’s on offer on the website itself at a crazy price.

3. Tan Pull Up Wallet

This something unreal – absolutely out of the box. A rare juxtaposition of class and style, beauty and elegance. These days there’s sharp rise in cases of digital theft. This tan pull up wallet helps you stand out amidst the crowd and as well as ensures full proof security so far as digital thefts are concerned courtesy its RFID protection. Along with a range of pockets, it guarantees a long shelf life. It’s available at a throwaway price.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, by grabbing any of these fascinating wallets, you can increase your style quotient by manifold and contribute towards making India a green one in a great deal. Simply click ecolook.in to know more and embrace the world of slow fashion. Log on now!  

Perks Of Using Safe, Sustainable And Eco-friendly Bio Products From The House Of Ecolook.

Introduction

India’s most trusted slow fashion brand, Ecolook, which specializes in fashion gears and accessories, has recently launched an exclusive collection of premium quality bio products. They all are absolutely eco-friendly, sustainable and come at a very reasonable price. Here’s a sneak peek from the exciting range of green products. Take a glimpse of the following five selected essentials.

5. Organic Bamboo Toothbrush For Kids

Conclusion

Embrace the brand new range of bio products from the house of Ecolook India and make significant changes in your lifestyle. Undoubtedly it will be a conscious step towards making our planet a better place to be in.

How to get started?

It’s plain and simple. Just log on to ecolook.in and place your order. It will be delivered shortly right at your doorstep.

How One Can Move A Step Closer Towards A Green India With Ecolook’s Eco Jute Bags

Of Colours

Life is full of colours. It offers you an array of variations to choose from. Different colours are responsible for creating different moods. It has been revealed in several studies that colours have something seriously to do with our mental setup. They directly affect our psyche. We all have got familiar with the world of colours while attending the painting classes way back during our childhood days. That experience has given us a basic sketch, a rough idea about them. On one hand, there is a wide range of amazing colours in the nature itself – in several forms. In natural phenomenons like, the rainbow, we witness the magic of seven colours known as VIBGYOR (Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red). In more fascinating natural phenomenas like the Aurora Australis or the Aurora Borealis, the colours appear infused with magic and showcase the dance of life. It’s hell of an experience to catch any of them live. For, they create impressions which etches in the heart forever, helping you store one of the most precious memories you will ever make in your lifelong journey. On the other hand, we, the wisest of all on planet earth, the human beings have managed to come up with a host of new colours which were not there in mother earth. Most them have been patented and widely used nowadays. But in order to discover the magic of colours, one must have the eyes to delve deeper into them. Otherwise the x-factor might seem off colour.

The Power Of Green

Green is one of the cool colours in the colour wheel. Doctors suggest that the more you will remain closer to green, so far as your diet chart is concerned, the more you can ensure a safe and healthy life. Scientists have found it as the safest colour to our eyes. It is advised to stare at the colour if not the greeneries, to maintain a good vision.  In a nutshell, stay as much closer to the green nature as possible, in every possible manner and secure a happy and healthy life. Thus, green is monumental to your well-being.

Red Signs

Red, in most of the cases, symbolises danger or caution. In the recent times, we are coming across repeated warnings from the environmental experts regarding the various threats posed by fast fashion. One goes at his/her wit’s end to know that the entire fast fashion industry produces one garbage truck of textiles per second. It’s high time to be well aware of the ill-effects of single use plastic too, before it’s too late. In India it’s becoming a growing concern day by day.

Going Green

You can become a responsible citizen by opting for the eco-friendly jute bags from Ecolook. It happens to be India’s most trusted slow fashion brand, which welcomes you with its long variety of premium quality jute products. By switching to the environment friendly, sustainable and at the same time fashionable collection of green products, you can help us addressing the textile pollution and make India become a green nation.

Blast From The Past

For centuries, Bengal has been a pioneer in many aspects. One can locate its excellence in various disciplines throughout its history; let’s not forget to flip through the lesser turned pages. There were days way back in the Middle Ages, when the art and crafts made by the gifted artisans from Bengal, boarded the beautifully designed ships and sailed through the sea to faraway places. Merchants from the foreign shores were ready to pay quite a lot only to place their hands on those magnificent pieces of art. The artefacts from this part of the world, managed to get tons of praise from all over the world because of its unique style and absolute rarity. Those were certainly the glorious days, the good old days indeed.

Tradition, Culture And Heritage

The past glory of Bengal regarding its rich art and craft can be located in various forms of documents. It can be easily traced in several literary texts, scriptures, architectural marvels, folk songs, paintings, sculptures, official letters and declarations etc. If anyone, even in the twenty first century, decides to introspect the array of folk-art forms across Bengal – Vadu, Tusu, Gambhira, Chou, Alkap, Baul, Palagaan, Bhawaiyaa; then he/she will be mesmerized if not spellbound. On the other hand, the famous Patachitras of Kalighat, commonly known as the Kalighat paintings, used to attract patrons from all over Europe. They were in great demand during the nineteenth century and though it’s dwindling for the last few decades, it continues to create jaw dropping reactions among the art enthusiasts. There is a suburban place called, Ghurni, close to Krishnanagar, where one can find the amazing collection of awestriking Galar Putul or Shellac Dolls. Interestingly, they are now having admirers across the globe. These are just a few examples from the huge arsenal of art and craft which Bengal possess.

Going Slow, Slow Build-up

Nowadays, we are gradually becoming well aware of the dangerous sides of fast fashion. The very fact that, fast fashion produces one garbage truck of textiles per second, is enough to raise the alarm bells. It’s high time, that we become conscious of the several adverse effects of fast fashion and act responsibly. It’s a pleasure to witness that the artisans who are into slow fashion, most of them living at the fringes of the society, are getting the recognition which was a long overdue. Jute bags, manufactured in Kolkata are now being welcomed by customers from not only Bengal but also beyond the geographical barriers. The artisans must be hailed for promoting safe fashion by encouraging people to embrace eco-friendly jute products and go green in style. Thus, they are initiating the much-needed change to protect our planet.

Let’s Go Green – The Need Of The Hour With its wide range of supreme sustainable jute bags, Ecolook invites you to go green! Let’s unite in our fight against fast fashion and make the world a better place to be in.

The Bubble Has Burst

It’s often said that myths are meant to be broken. Since time immemorial, myths came into being and enjoyed its fair share of popularity. They grew around each and everything. When we look around ourselves in the twenty first century, we find that there are urban myths too. Myths are quite interesting in nature. Way back in 1957, famed philosopher, thinker and writer, Ronald Barthes in his renowned book, Mythologies, showed how myths operate and become unquestionable after a certain point of time by creating a strong notion of truth. With the passage of time, myths fall apart into pieces, often at the stroke of a gentle touch, in a certain given circumstance. Likewise, there were various myths regarding the fast fashion, which were fabricated by the industry over the years due to some obvious reasons, in a very subtle manner. In recent times, those myths have faced serious resistance. This has resulted in our crystal-clear understanding of the other side of fast fashion – an array of health hazards and environmental risks. 

Alarm Bells, Ringing Fast

Lately, we have encountered with several reports regarding our environment which document the sharp rise of global carbon footprints. These reports indicate the sheer downfall of our ecosystem and the possibility of an even worse scenario in the near future. These stats are bound to create jaw-dropping reactions as they continue to pass on the disturbing information that the alarm bells are ringing fast. One has to take a note of the fact that, unless these reports are taken seriously care of, until we make conscious moves by acting responsibly, we would be inviting trouble. We must remember that if the ecological balance of our planet gets disrupted, we would be in a complete mess. We need to take rapid actions in the form of making necessary changes in our basic approach towards the long journey called life. Without further delay, we have to start the rebuilding process and that too on a war footing.

Safe Passage, Green Passage

The only way out from this topsy turvy situation happens to be going green. We need to opt for the eco-friendly fashion gears and accessories as soon as possible. There are a lot of popular misconception regarding slow fashion, most of them gradually getting shattered into pieces though. The reality is, slow fashion produces some of the finest clothing gears so far as the style quotient is concerned.

The Made Easy

Are these much-needed changes seem to be too difficult to execute? You don’t need to worry about it, even a bit, with the sustainable jute bags from Ecolook at your side. It’s high time that we switch to jute bags for shopping and contribute to the continuous efforts made by this Kolkata based slow fashion brand and at the same time remain stylish with a difference. They deserve a huge pat on their back for upholding the beautiful creations of the gifted artisans from several corners of India at the global stage, apart from creating mass awareness about our environment and initiating green way of styling.  

On Beauty

What is beauty? This question has been there since so long and people have tried to look at it from different angles, went on to address it from various viewpoints through the ages. But one thing is pretty clear; it’s not something which can be clearly defined in black and white. Rather, the problem lies in the tendency to define everything in black and white. We need to understand that ‘there are more things in heaven and earth’ which occupy the space in the grey areas. Grey – a colour which remains in between black and white. So, if we manage to shun this problematic habit of trying to analyze everything in terms of black and white, we would be able to look at beauty without any burden set by the market or conditions dictated by the society. Then, only then, we can appreciate its true self – the real beauty. If we don’t go by the fairness cream advertisements, we would realize with our long earned emotional quotient, imaginative faculty and reasoning, what the great Romantics suggested some centuries back. In the words of John Keats, the great poet who died at an early age of twenty-five due to tuberculosis, which turned into an epidemic then, much like the present covid-19 pandemic, “beauty is truth, truth beauty”. The same Keats, who portrayed nature in an impeccable manner and suffered from melancholia, which unlike today was regarded as a disease then, penned the lines – “a thing of beauty, is a joy forever”. On the other hand, more than two thousand years ago, the renowned philosopher, regarded as one of the greatest thinkers of all time, Plato, ideated, “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. If we deeply introspect all of these thoughts and take every other aspect into our consideration, then we would understand it in a crystal-clear manner that, in the end it entirely depends on one’s perception. Furthermore, in some way or the other, everyone is beautiful in this sweet little world and eagerly waiting for our ability, compassion and sensitivity to find beauty in them.

Risks, Hazards Galore!

Today, with the alarming rise of the adverse effects of the fast fashion, thinking otherwise has become the need of the hour. Anything other than the eco-friendly jute products, comes with several environmental risks and various health hazards.

It’s A Must

In this light, opting for green products like the sustainable jute bags, which help us to reduce the alarming carbon footprint, becomes a must. It should be implemented without further delay as there’s no room left for error.

It Can’t Get Beautiful Than This

With the arrival of Ecolook in the scene, the much-needed change has taken place. Embrace the change, make a responsible move and amplify our continuous efforts to make a greener tomorrow with the wide variety of top-notch absolutely biodegradable fashion gears and accessories, especially the jute bags, which speak of sustainability and reflects class along with compassion.

Taking a plunge into the world of slow fashion is a step that can’t happen overnight. But small and steady steps towards coming to terms with how fast fashion, no matter how fancy it sounds is not the way out in the long run but slow fashion is- wisdom and grace lie in embracing that eventually both for oneself and the nature that surrounds one.

‘Sustainable fashion’ is one of the latest buzzword that’s circulating in the entire industry but what is it actually? Is it just another marketing jargon or is there something more substantial that exists beyond it?

Well, in short. Sustainable fashion is a movement that creates clothes that are environmentally friendly. Ecolook from India is one such brand that weaves its garments with the threads of sustainability, believing and promoting the belief that sustainability and only sustainability could nurture nature and make the world a healthier place.

Ecolook, one of the defenders of environmental ethics in the Indian fashion industry believes in going to great lengths to ensure that the entire supply chain starting from harvesting the cotton to the ultimate sewing including the processes in between are all organic.

Their products range from garments to accessories, leather wallets to zero waste necessities.

“I started embracing the culture of slow fashion with Ecoloom and since then it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! Before Ecolook happened, I was always under pressure to buy a new outfit for every occasion. Now I’m taking my own time to think through all of my purchases and thus focusing on buying better quality than quantity. Ecolook helped me publicly end my affair with fast fashion!” says Janani, en employee from the house of Ecolook.

Ecolook is a sister concern of Ecoloom Pty Ltd that has been launched in India. Aligning its goals with that of UN, Ecolook also believes that environmental justices are a reason to initiate a change in the outlook of how brand’s should carry out business.  Selling handmade products ranging from pocket-friendly prices, the brand carefully oversees its entire supply chain so as to ensure fair working wages to the ones in between.

All in all, it has been seen that fashion is the most easily accessible as well as understandable consumer good crafted for shoppers so as to initiate them to opt for sustainable purchasing decisions. And keeping that in mind, Ecolook is all set to conquer the fashion parade with their belief of sustainability.

A clear space is equivalent to a clear mind. When your wardrobe is bursting with clothes which you haven’t been in forever and you don’t see yourself wearing either be it for any reason like you not fitting in them or clothes no longer being in fashion- it’s time to let them go, declutter and clear out.

Decluttering is an important process hence to go through. If you make a conscious effort towards removing the items that no longer serve your purpose as well as cut down on buying items that are usually considered as poor purchases and our overconsumption habits, it will provide you with space for more!

When you’re on the path to decluttering your wardrobe, make it a point to give yourself the headspace to examine and reexamine the attachments you have with your clothes. Decluttering sustainably is also an important factor. Opt for a clothing swap, give your clothes to relatives and friends, donating them to the needy or selling them ‘second hand’ are efficient measures to ensure slow living. If your wardrobe is filled with fast fashion items, you should be giving serious thought to ways of reusing them until they fall apart. 

If you witness yourself not wearing them for a year, its time you give them off. 

If you’re interested in creating a sustainable wardrobe, there’s a high chance that you might stumble upon minimalism. Minimalism is a movement that aims to simplify the lives of people by eradicating their attachment to ‘stuff’ and replacing them with timeless alternatives. A sustainable wardrobe need not be a minimalist one if it doesn’t suit your style of fashion. Instead, a sustainable wardrobe is one that contains fine quality clothing in sustainable fabrics that could be worn regularly and once done using, it could be disposed off in a sustainable manner.

Decluttering is undoubtedly one of the most critical steps to creating a wardrobe that’s not just sustainable but minimalistic too. But one thing to keep in mind is to do this in a way that doesn’t harm the environment thereby avoiding waste. If you’re eyeing out for a way to approach your wardrobe sustainably, it’s suggested that you

1. Religiously untangle yourself from ongoing consumer culture
2. Declutter consciously and mindfully 
3. Learn how to shop sustainably 
4. Learn how to assess a fashion label’s ethics and sustainability

If you are on the lookout for a slow fashion brand that will help you declutter your wardrobe and give your style statement a boost, EcoLook is your one-stop sustainable fashion solution.