Zavi

Sustainable fashion is the way of the future

Words by Vibhuti Vazirani

ZAVI is a sustainable fashion brand for men and women. ZAVI’s vision is to provide a sustainable and conscious alternative to fast fashion shopping by making sustainable fashion desirable and affordable.

ZAVI’s approach to fabrics has always been very practical and functional. Our current collection is made from 100% biodegradable and natural fabrics. When it comes to fabrics, “natural” isn’t always necessarily a good thing. For example, viscose and rayon are semi-synthetic fabrics, meaning they are made from wood pulp; however, they use trees, which are sacred to us, and we believe they should not be cut down for fabrics; they also require a large amount of chemicals in their processing. So although a lot of brands claim viscose is an “ecofriendly” option, the reality is slightly different.

Our current collection is made from 100% sustainable materials, including hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, vegan silk and lyocell.

Hemp is a great sustainable option as it regrows quickly, doesn’t require a lot of water and it is also pesticide free. Hemp is a very strong fibre – you can really grow old with our hemp shirts, which will stay strong for years. They also hold colour really well, without colour fading or running. Hemp is also a natural antibacterial and highly absorbent, so it’s highly recommended for summer to keep you feeling and looking fresh throughout the day. The most amazing thing about hemp is that it acts as a natural UV protector, so it’s a safe and smart option.

Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant and needs no active human intervention, so there is no fear of depletion.

Organic cotton is grown with one-third the amount of water used for regular cotton. It is also grown without pesticides and fertilisers, so it doesn’t retain chemicals that may be toxic and carcinogenic. It is, however, more expensive; because of the absence of pesticides, it is slower growing than regular cotton, and hence takes more time and energy to produce.

Vegan silk is made without boiling the live silkworm cocoons. Our manufacturer in a village based in India uses abandoned silk cocoons to weave this silk. The torn fibres are handwoven to create longer fibres, hence this silk may not seem as “clean” as regular silk. Lyocell is a fibre made from sustainable tree and plant farms, using trees and plants that have the ability to regrow quickly, such as eucalyptus. Lyocell is also manufactured in a closed loop process, meaning the water and chemicals used in processing are used in a closed loop until they are used up.

We make to order, and we produce and ship out within the next two days to keep waste low. We also have a custom-fit option. However, this is not a scalable option. As our business grows, we will have to produce more stock. We hope that when this does occur, we can keep supply less than demand to avoid waste.

All of our packaging is biodegradable. Our plastic replacement is made of vegetable starch, so it’s 100% biodegradable and will break down within three to six months depending on soil conditions; it can also be dissolved in boiling water.

At ZAVI our mission is to beat fast fashion by providing a sustainable alternative with great design, quality and price, as we believe only Sustainability is Sustainable.

We need a better approach to save our earth. Fortunately, today’s youth has recognised this and are highly conscious of their choices and their impacts on the planet. Through the world of social media, individuals are promoting and supporting others to make better choices. A great example is veganism: many people, especially young people, have adopted veganism. This is a sign that we are moving to more conscious choices, and this will apply to fashion choices, too.

The widespread understanding of how bad plastic is for the planet has gained traction in the last few years, and this will also occur with polyester. It will take some time for the majority of the population to understand its impact and to make changes in their buying habits. A key factor for this change is price; prices for sustainable items need to be affordable for consumers. However, for brands like ZAVI to have more competitive prices we need to be able to sustain ourselves by maintaining a cheaper supply chain. This is not possible at the moment as the fabric and garment manufacturing industry is highly synthetic-driven, so this is where the cheaper prices lie. One of our major challenges is sourcing sustainable materials at affordable costs. In the future, we hope to improve our supply chain and reduce costs, so that we can offer customers a sustainable and affordable choice, thereby offering a realistic alternative to fast fashion. shop-zavi.com