How Sustainable is Your Wardrobe? With Fashion Being Measured by a New Yardstick, It's Time to Bring in Hemp Fabric Clothing

• Q. Tell us about yourself and your background.
• I was born and brought up in Surat. Post my schooling I moved to Kanpur, not to an IIT but something close to it (that’s what I like to believe). I am an engineering graduate from HBTI Kanpur and was working with Ericsson for about 3 years before completing my MBA from IIM Calcutta in 2018. After my MBA, I was working with Godrej Properties in the land acquisition team for about two year.

• Q. What led you to create Ecentric and how did you go about it?
• I was born and brought up in Surat – the textile hub of India, hence I understand the industry basics and I also have friends and connections in the industry. After my MBA from IIM Calcutta, I was working with Godrej Properties. In March last year, the pandemic hit us and we were all confined to our houses. I started doing household chores and started focusing more on food, fitness, etc. I realised that the life I was leading was not sustainable enough starting from everyday clothing, and after my initial research, I learnt that there are a very limited number of sustainable fashion brands in India. So I thought of starting a sustainable fashion brand and as I researched more about sustainable fashion and hemp clothing in India, I found that there were not many options available, especially affordable ones. Hence I started the journey to ‘hemp’ower the fashion industry in India, to bridge the accessibility, affordability gap and to provide customers an option to try sustainable fashion and choose an eco-friendly future. Therefore we created an environment-centric (‘E’centric) sustainable fashion brand.

• Q. Why is a shift towards sustainability important for the fashion industry?
• The environmental impact caused by the textile industry is well documented. It is the second most pollution-causing industry in the world. The fashion industry emits about the same quantity of greenhouse gases per year as the entire economies of France, Germany and the United Kingdom combined. Synthetic fibres, such as polyester, are plastic fibres, therefore non-biodegradable and can take up to 200 years to decompose. Synthetic fibres are used in 72% of our clothing. The list goes on and on. The pandemic has taught us the importance of leading a sustainable life. The organic way of living is getting popular every day as people learn to live sustainably and in order for it to successfully transform our future, we need to embrace it in every aspect of our lives – not just limit it to food and personal care. Clothing is an important part of our lives and the fashion industry adds a significant amount to the world’s carbon footprint.

• Q. What kind of awareness does the Indian market have about sustainable clothing?
• Globally sustainable fashion/clothing is very vaguely defined. Different people have different meaning of sustainable fashion. Sustainable fashion can be defined by the virtue of using organic raw material like hemp, bamboo, organic cotton, etc., using eco-friendly dyes and other such practices in the value chain of apparel manufacturing. We are seeing a good traction and more and more people are getting aware about the harmful impact caused by the fashion industry at large. However, given the limited number of options and their price range, the adoption or switching to sustainable fashion is slow. We at Ecentric are trying to make that switch easier for consumers by offering sustainable fashion made from hemp at very attractive prices. Normally, if someone wants to buy a good linen shirt it would cost them upwards of ₹ 2,000.00 and we have our shirts starting from ₹ 1,499.00 which is made from hemp.

Where Can You Find Them?

• Q. Tell us about hemp and how as a fabric it is suited to the Indian climate?
• The usage of hemp in the day-to-day life of ancient civilizations was substantial. Hemp was used for a wide variety of applications and even today, hemp’s versatility and durability makes it a fibre which would be an ideal candidate for use in multiple products such as apparel, accessories, footwear, furniture and home furnishings. Hemp is known for its strength and durability. It is also very comfortable. The more you wear a hemp-based garment the softer it will become. Hemp enthusiasts like to say, “Hemp doesn’t wear out, it wears in.” Due to its inherent chemical structure, hemp is resistant to moths and UV light. It has a super-absorbent nature and as moisture is released into the air, the cloth will remain cool and dry. This quick-drying structure hinders the growth of anaerobic bacteria, giving hemp antimicrobial and hypoallergenic properties. The fibre’s structure allows it to be naturally climate responsive. It keeps the wearer cool in very warm conditions and warm in cooler temperatures. Hemp’s absorbency and its ability to protect against UV rays make a garment that is less prone to fading and offers sun protection. Given the humid climate of India, hemp can be an ideal fabric going forward given its properties.

• Q. What are some common misconceptions around the use of hemp?
• Hemp, more commonly called marijuana is known to us as a recreational/medicinal drug. It is in fact one of nature’s best gift to mankind but has not been explored fully. Industrial hemp and marijuana are different varieties of the same plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the component which causes psychoactive effects. Marijuana has higher THC and is derived from the Indica family of the hemp plant. Grown from the Sativa plant, industrial hemp is used for a wide variety of cases. Industrial hemp fibre is a type of “bast fibre” like other natural fibres derived from the stalk of plants such as flax and jute. It has been cultivated for thousands of years and on almost every continent. It is also one of nature’s most sustainable fibres and can be used in the textile industry.

• Q. What are you trying to achieve?
• We are trying to make sustainable clothing affordable for the masses so that more and more people can try sustainable fashion like hemp clothing. Hence, we can all contribute to environment change and create a better future together.

• Q. What makes Ecentric different from other sustainable fashion brands?
• All our products are made from 100% hemp and hemp blend fabric which is the most sustainable plant and we also use only eco-friendly packaging. The limited number of sustainable fashion brands and the price range makes adoption of sustainable fashion difficult at large scale in India. With our affordable sustainable fashion offering we aim to bridge that gap and fast track the adoption. Normally, if someone wants to buy a good linen shirt it would cost them upwards of ₹ 2,000.00 and we have our shirts starting from ₹ 1,499.00 which are made from hemp.

• Q. What are your own interests? How did you spend time during the lockdown?
• I love playing chess and was fortunate enough to participate in the national team championship in 2010. Apart from chess, I like watching movies and discussing new business ideas with my friends.