Fashion Forward Fellowship brings climate action to fashion

Team L&M

To provide a platform to young designers to think about the impact of the fashion industry on water and look at building their careers with a focus on environmental sustainability, particularly water stewardship, a unique programme, Fashion Forward Fellowship, spearheaded by The ReFashion Hub and Ywater has been introduced.
Conceptualised by Rushva Parihar, sustainability coach and founder of Ywater and Riddhika Jesrani, jewellery designer spatial design strategist, this first-of-its-kind in the country fellowship will help emerging designers develop a holistic understanding of what sustainable fashion entails. They will be taken through an alternative approach to the creative and business process of establishing an ethical fashion label.
The fellowship aims to keep the planet at the heart of the conversation and approach traditional business models with increased creativity, dynamism and experimentation. Over the course of five weeks, the fellows will get a chance to enrich and expand their professional skill-set through virtual learning sessions, live studio visits and expert interactions. Some of the partner organisations and mentors that will impart their expertise and urge fellows to look at fashion through a new lens include Studio Beej, Studio Medium, Hemp Fabric Lab, designer Karishma Shahani Khan, stylist and sustainable living advocator Ekta Rajani, materials expert Maadhvi Singh, brand consultant Radhika Dhawan, and Rixi Bhatia of Half Full Curve amongst others.
At the end of the fellowship in April, each fellow will conceptualise a capsule collection, across textile, footwear or accessories, that incorporates the principles of sustainability and water stewardship and present it to a panel of judges including Nonita Kalra, Parmesh Shahani and Akshay Tyagi. The winner will be awarded a sum of Rs 1 lakh to bring their sustainable capsule collection to life.
Deadline February 15, 2021
For details, click here