From yoga wear made with organic cotton to lightweight performance wear, labels in India are pushing boundaries in terms of style and design innovation
Athleisure that emerged as fashion’s favourite niche during the pandemic continues to be on a roll. While new players enter the space almost every other month, what’s worth noting are the eco-conscious innovations made by existing brands.
If you are looking for ways to do your bit to promote conscious fashion, here’s a roundup of athleisure brands made in India that practice sustainability.
No Nasties
In 2011, when it wasn’t as fashionable to use words like sustainability and eco-friendly, No Nasties launched itself as a 100% organic, fair trade, vegan clothing. The brand has been unwavering with its vison for the past decade, creating entire product lines of shirts, T-shirts, dresses, pants, shirts and scarves using upcycled and recycled fabric, zero waste and organic cotton. Now, the brand has launched all-new yoga wear made with 100% organic cotton. The capsule collection includes tees, tank tops, shorts, joggers and pants for men and women. Like the other offerings of the brand, the new line is also 100% vegan and 100% made entirely in India. The breezy fits and comfortable fabric are ideal for practicing all those yogasanas.
Price, ₹1,300-3,000; www.nonasties.in
Aastey
Founded in 2020 by Jeevika Tyagi and Kanupriya Mundhra, Aastey pitches itself as “the best online sustainable athleisure wear for women in India”. This brand props itself on the values of inclusivity, sustainability, mindfulness and reduced carbon footprint.
One of the successful innovations of the label to promote sustainability is the creation of an in-house fabric called “aasteyflex”, a recycled polyester blend that was made with a vision to divert plastic from toxic landfills. Shop from their active wear collection that includes leggings, wide-leg pants, joggers, crop tops, sports bras and tank tops. A size-inclusive brand, the options range from XS to 4XL.
Price, ₹1,101-2,395; www. aastey.com
Bottle&Co
This athleisure brand is on a mission to reduce fast fashion. As such, it follows a conscientious production process every step of the way, from sourcing raw material to making the final product. The label makes tees, hoodies, and pants called “hops”, designed for movement and flexibility. All the clothes are made from sustainable, ethically-sourced material such as organic cotton, recycled cotton, recycled polyester and plant-based fabrics like banana peel, hemp, bamboo and corn-starch.
Price, ₹520-1,499; www.bottlenco.com
Good Indian
A unisex athleisure and essential wear brand, Good Indian’s entire collection is made with recycled polyester and sustainable cotton, which makes the clothes lightweight, breathable and comfortable. Their performancewear is designed for a range of exercises like calisthenics, cross-fit, martial arts and cardio. Take your pick from joggers, hoodies, plain tees, tank tops, sports bras, tights, gym shorts and leggings. The brand’s association with online garden store Ugaoo means every customer receives a pouch of spinach seeds with their delivery package. Truly, the label is serious about getting everyone to go green.
For details, go to Goodindian.co.in
Silvertraq
A high-performance active wear brand that marries innovation with fashion, Mumbai-based Silvertraq is designed for the Indian woman, offering sizes from XS to 3XL.
Unlike most athleisure wear available in the market that is staid, Silvertraq’s product range of joggers, co-ord sets, sports bras, leggings and pants, tops, tees and sweatshirts offers quite a choice in terms of colour and prints. Check out the Reflective or Shibori collection, for instance.
Made 100% in India, the brand has ethical, equitable and sustainable practices in place. Their innovations include creating their own in-house fabric called Cloud, which in turn is made from RPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate). Growing popular by the day, RPET is a fabric whose yarn is made from post-consumer waste plastic bottles saved from landfills.
Price, ₹899-3,000; www.silvertraq.com
