Millennials, a driving force towards Sustainability

Fashion & Sustainability (Representative Image)

By Preshita Thakur

State of Fashion 2018 report by BoF and McKinsey reveals that nearly sixty percent of global millennials are willing to spend on sustainable brands. Nielsen have dubbed 2018 as the year of the influential sustainable consumer which they credit entirely to the millennials and their shopping patterns.

Millennials as a word refers to people born between the early 1980s to late 1990s, marked by their increased use and familiarity with communication, media, and digital technologies. A very common misconception is that millennials are into ‘fads’, as in, short-lived trends. But aren’t we all confusing millennials as the immature type, not at all concerned about the quality of their consumption, wasting their money on whatever that’s ‘in trend’?

It is high time we clear those judgemental clouds and see where today’s generation is headed to. What better way to learn about them if we don’t include fashion as a way to understand the word ‘sustainable’ which has ended up in their regular life jargon.

Mehak Sharma, a millenial fashion blogger with more than 40k of loyal followers on Instagram, says; “everyone knows what sustainability is. We’ve all studied it at school, in college, but what makes us different is our action”. She points out that her regular posts about skin care are popular because people want to know about these brands which don’t hurt the environment as well as their skin. “They’re very conscious about the chemicals”, she says.

We’ve all heard “to kill two birds with one stone”, and millennials are the ones doing it when it comes to fashion and sustainability. You don’t have to buy clothes synthetically made to be fashionable, you don’t have to use makeup made from chemicals, all of which is more or less impossible to decompose. That is where sustainable and eco-friendly; the new ‘it’ terms in the world of fashion comes in.

Designer Mercy Renthlei, who started her own accessories label ‘MERCY’ last year, points out to the same principle for using canvas and other eco-friendly fabrics. “It is a good investment with varying results, less clutter everywhere, plus consciously I’m doing good”, says she.

It is no wonder that names like Forest Essentials, Innisfree, Khadi Natural are a hit for their natural skincare and beauty products. Indian brands such as Pero, Nicobar, Bodice, 11:11 are all popular for their sustainable yet fashionable clothes and accessories.

‘Sustainable’ is such a hit that major fast fashion retailers like H&M have also introduced their own line called “Conscious” to cater to the growing niche consumers. Celebrities like Emma Watson regularly promotes sustainable fashion as witnessed with a separate Instagram account where she details everything sustainable she wears and uses.

The fact is that today, millennials have far more spending power and are willing to contribute towards an ethical cause. However, more brands need to identify this developing supermarket which will not only help them but also our home, our ecosystem. And to people who have still not thought about this, now is the time to think and act accordingly.