Fashion industry is often considered to be the most polluting industry in the world, right from the beginning to the end of the product and the urgent need of the hour is paddling towards sustainability. Leading the way forward towards the ethical and sustainable fashion industry, bamboo fibres hold an important position in this industry as these reduce the share of environmental pollution caused. Marking the importance of the green gold, 18th September is celebrated as the World Bamboo Day. It was officially marked by the Thai Royal Forest department in 2009 at the 8th World Bamboo Congress held in Bangkok with an aim to spread awareness about the green gold.
China is the largest producer of bamboo with just 40 lakh hectares of land that accounts for about 50 per cent of the share in global market. On the other hand, India, which is the second largest producer of bamboo, has a mere 4 per cent contribution in the global market even though it has 90 lakh hectares of bamboo forests. There are more than 1,600 species found in several genres across the world. With much versatile proficiency, the usage of bamboo varies from toys to bottles to toothbrush, jewellery, fabrics, etc.
In view of the fact that the way ahead is sustainability, the fashion and garment industry is keeping an eye on the eco-friendly fabrics. Fibre derived from bamboo is not a new concept to the textile industry, while the implementation of latest technology allows the fibre to be used for various fashion applications. The fabric made out of green gold has carved a niche for itself in the fashion industry.
The add-on advantage of preferring bamboo as a green textile is its organic base. The crop replenishes the lost vitamins and minerals of the soil and does not require any insecticides or pesticides during cultivation. This property further retains in the fabric made out of the bamboo – the end product is anti-bacterial, hypoallergenic with a silky soft touch since there are no spurs to irritate the skin.
For instance, Vardhaman yarns offers a collection of cellulosic, functional, sustainable and breathable range of yarns with a blend of 15 fibres like bamboo, bemberg, tencel, coolmax, ecovero, feel fresh tencel, etc. The collection consists of 40 varieties of blends that are conceived to add remarkable versatility, excellent comfort, great strength and durability to the garments.
Feng Chen Wang filled a lofty gallery space of Spring/Summer 2020 international menswear showcase with sheer draped curtains and bamboo scaffolding piled with chalk powders. Pooja Khanna – the mind behind Venn – incorporates bamboo and corn fabrics for their eveningwear products that have a luxe touch and feel.
Withstanding the extreme conditions of temperature, Malaysian designers Warith Zaki and Amir Amzar recently envisioned settlements on Mars crafted with bamboo. Acknowledged for its exclusive bamboo furniture, Bengaluru-based designer Sandeep Sangaru believes that grass can be compared to any other man-made material owing to its versatility and mechanical properties.
On the occasion of 10th World Bamboo Day that is today, designer Madhu Jain introduced exquisite bamboo silk ikat sarees so as to commemorate its significance. This is just a baby step towards a great change and thus the fashion industry stands for the importance of gold in green – Bamboo.
