32 different Indian designers pledge to go leather-free

After being urged by the Lakme Fashion Week and PETA India to stop using the leather material in order to help animals and the environment, thirty-two Indian fashion designers have pledged to go leather-free.

Gaurav Gupta, Jade by Monica and Karishma, House of Masaba by Masaba Gupta, péro by Aneeth Arora, Ranna Gill, and Shyamal & Bhumika are among the designers.

Sonaakshi Raaj, Siddartha Tytler, Rina Dhaka, Vikram Phadnis, Rocky Star, Atsu Sekhose, Dev R Nil, and Bloni by Akshat Bansal are among those who have pledged their support. PETA India claimed in a blog post on its website that Anita Dongre and Purvi Doshi had been leather-free for a time.

Darshana Gajare, head of sustainability for Lakmé Fashion Week/RISE Worldwide, said that sustainability in fashion is multifaceted; animal cruelty and toxic effluents from tanneries are significant concerns that must be tackled alongside others. Seeing the replies from Indian fashion designers is encouraging; it’s a critical step in the right direction.

Cork, mangoes, coconut, pineapple leaves, recycled plastic, mushrooms, tomato composite, grapes, and abandoned temple flowers are just a few of the resources that can be used to make vegan leather. These alternatives minimize the environmental and socioeconomic costs of animal-derived leather, such as greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation to breed cows, and toxic tannery waste that pollutes the Ganges and hurts tannery employees, in addition to protecting animals.

The designers made the promise on the occasion of World Fashion Day, which falls on August 21.