DAY 7 AND FINAL THOUGHTS

     It is almost unbelievable that our last day has sprung up so fast. I believe today has been our earliest start and also most packed day. We arrived back at ISDI for 9:30am and begun our sessions immediately.

 

     The first of these sessions was spent consolidating our learning and identifying any remaining questions that we had yet to answers for. After refreshments of lychee and mango juices and sandwiches, we had our first talk about traceability and transparency within the supply chain by Rhea from Sourcemap. Sourcemap works by providing transparency within supply chains. This allows businesses and consumers alike to trace their products right back t the source materials and locations. 

 

     Whilst we weren’t lucky enough to have a SIM session with Rhea, we did get to talk to Radhi Parekh from Artisans again. It was lovely to see her and her enthusiasm for her business again. She listed challenges within Artisans and we attempted to provide her with viable solutions. The social media presence, artisancentre, was the main focus of our discussion as well as the betterment of relations between her and the upcoming artisans she promotes and markets. 

 

     Our second SIM session was with Yash Kotak of BoHeCo. BoHeCo is a super cool company that produces Hemp clothing as an alternative to cotton. Sadly, we didn’t know much about the company before the session but nonetheless had a chat with Yash about the business and its goals. Following this session, Yash gave a talk on the company. BoHeCo started as a means to combat the waste produced by the cotton industry. After harvesting cotton, farmers have to get rid of the crop that won’t sell. The most effective way to do thesis to burn it which is a serious problem. This is material ghat is wasted from the moment it is harvested and the fumes produced from burning it are harmful both to the farmers and to the environment. 

  

     Hemp provides a solution. Every part of the Hemp plant can be used. The outer fibres can be woven into fabrics, the inner fibres as building materials, the seed are high in nutrition so can provide food, and the flowers and leaves are used in medicines. Hemp uses 400 times less water than cotton and is 8 times stronger, making it one of the most sustainable crops available. Whilst  it is more expensive than cotton, it is cheaper than Irish Linen and just as good quality (far better than cotton). What is more, Hemp is carbon negative and very easy to grow. It is naturally disease free, fast growing and has deep strong roots that aide in strengthening the ground between crops. After the catastrophic bombing in Hiroshima, the hemp plant was used to combat some of the negative side effects of the radioactivity. 

 

     A number of Haute Couture brands are already using Hemp fabrics on the catwalks, including Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Laurent, Twinkle, and Versace.

 

     Our final talk was by Anna Warrington from Forum of the Future. As part of her session we designed clothes that would be fashionable in an alternative universe. This was a fun activity that allowed us to relax a bit more after all the information we’d received throughout the day. 

 

 

     We ended the day in the pool and spent time relaxing in the steam rooms of the Taj President before packing and saying our goodbyes to those remaining in India for additional travels. There was a group of about 12 at the airport so we were able to hang out and discuss the highlights of the trip. The part of this journey spent in India may be over but we are still learning! Discover the rest of our work and our adventures at our instagram page Sewing_Fashion_Sustainably.