the rebirth of sustainable fashion

It could be said that the history of fashion has come full circle.

In the past, clothing was handmade by weavers with the use of natural materials and dyes. Mass production followed in the age of industrialization, reducing the cost of clothing by using synthetic fibres, but taking a heavy toll on the environment and humanity. In recent years however, there has been a growing movement to return to the older methods of production, to build a sustainable fashion industry.

The fashion industry is currently considered to be the second largest polluter in the world. It is responsible for 10% of the global carbon footprint. Fashion brands have for decades used sweatshops and factories with horrific working conditions. According to Rahul Jain's award-winning documentary Machines, workers in a garment factory in Gujarat are paid a little over INR 200 for a 12 hour shift. It took the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, the deadliest garment factory accident in history, to spark a global consciousness.

In response, fashion began to get reinvented using sustainable means of production. Using handwoven fabrics, natural materials and dyes, and recycling, sustainable fashion slowly grew, aiming for zero waste production, good working conditions and fair payment.

The Fair Trade movement was thus born, emphasizing on transparency and accountability, elimination of child and forced labour, gender equality, fair working conditions and payment and respect for the environment.

the good loom is a range of sustainable fashion lifestyle clothing launched by GoCoop that's ethically handmade with natural handwoven fabrics. Also available on the GoCoop platform that connects artisans and buyers directly, the good loom is responsible for fair payments to the weavers. GoCoop received a Fair Trade certification for its sustainable practices.