Through the Power of Storytelling  

In solving the looming environmental problems in fashion, this college student is determined to make a change in the sustainability industry through a pair of pants. 

Let’s face it: clothes are more than what they are. These days, your newest vegan leather handbag or your biodegradable sneakers can spark a conversation with other people about the fashion industry and the personal choices we make to help solve the problem.

There has been a radical change in how we see our clothing.  We are seeing an increased demand for slow and conscious fashion. Fashion is less about the product in hand and more about the process, the materials, and the people who make it. 

The industry shift is happening here and now, and often through small and sustainable brands and their brilliant ideas to use collective action at the local level to spark change in a flawed industry. 

While sustainability has been a buzzword for years, it is certainly more than fashion’s latest trend –– and it is here to stay. Today, a new generation of disruptive brands led by members of Generation Z and Millenials are shaking up the sustainable fashion industry, and Taara Projects is one of them.

Female-founded Taara Projects aims to address unsustainable and unethical practices prevalent in the fashion industry through a pair of pants. However, it’s not just any pants – these stylish and versatile pieces are those that are good for the Earth and everyone who produces them. 

WHERE IT ALL STARTED 

In 2018, Shanthi Ramakrishna was a high school senior who sourced locally-made pants from her native India to sell to a close group of friends. Soon after beginning her freshman year at Johns Hopkins University, she realized that she had created an ethical form of business at its core. 

The brand’s story begins where a piece of clothing that otherwise is considered normal transforms into something more meaningful.

Taara, meaning “star” or a “source of light” in the ancient language of Sanskrit, served as an inspiration in developing this project. 

“I work with an organization very closely in India, called Sahasra Deepika, which means a thousand points of light,” Ramarkrishna explains. Sahasra Deepika is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing children in India the opportunity to better their lives through education. 

“It’s more anecdotal, but they’ve [the children] become like points of light in my own life.” According to Ramarkrishna, the original beneficiaries of her proceeds as a senior in high school were young girls within the organization. 

As a tribute to their impact on her personal life, Ramarkrishna founded Taara Projects as a way to uplift artisans and be a point of light in their own lives.

FASHION FOR GOOD

By promoting environmental sustainability, Taara Projects is dedicated to creating products that minimize toxic water pollution, non-biodegradable waste, and production-related carbon emissions. All of its components can be recycled, reused, and biodegradable. 

When looking at the impact of garment production across the globe, Taara Projects is contributing to the solution, and not the problem.

For now, the small sustainable brand is focused on experimenting with various types of fabric for their product while staying true to their sustainable promise. “Our first batch was one hundred percent organic cotton, whereas the ones that we are currently in the process of ordering and designing will be a hundred percent recycled cotton,” Ramarkrishna explains. 

From organic to recycled cotton, these eco-friendly fabrics go through a handweaving process and are then colored with natural and plant-based non-toxic dyes solidifying an eco-conscious production process.

In addition, Taara Projects empowers artisans and their communities. 

“I want to emphasize the aspect of storytelling because giving fashion a more humanistic element is important. At the end of the day, fashion is fundamentally an art form.” 

According to their website, their “impact-sourcing model” enables them to employ individuals who are at-risk for poverty and pay them more than a living wage, as well as equip them with transferable business skills, such as design, tailoring, and weaving. Consequentially, Taara Projects is investing in their economic empowerment and future professional careers. 

“If you see a painting, you know who painted it. You see their name. Fashion is also that way when you break it down.” 

 Ethical reform is one of the main reasons behind the progressive shift in the fashion industry. It’s also a huge component of why Ramarkrishna is so passionate about Taara Projects.

RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY

Technological advances have created an age of information and transparency. The market for sustainable clothing has been on the rise as many consumers today are becoming more conscious of where their clothes come from. 

According to The Business Research Company’s Ethical Fashion Market Global Report, the global ethical fashion market size is expected to grow from $6.35 billion in 2019 to $8.7 billion in 2023. In fact, in 2020 alone, “sustainability” searches have seen a 37%  increase, according to Lyst. This growth is mainly due to the heightened awareness about the environmental costs of fast fashion and the many calls to shift to slow, ethical, and sustainable practices. 

An explosion of new direct-to-consumer companies is transforming the way people shop for clothes by changing consumer preferences and expectations. The rise of the internet paved the way for e-commerce companies that are imperative in the sustainable movement. 

Traditionally, when middlemen, like a department store, are involved, a product is often significantly marked up before it reaches the consumers. However, with more brands going direct-to-consumer, it is easier to see the people, the process, as well as understand costs for your clothes. 

“We opted to operate as an online-based, direct-to-consumer operation that cuts out the traditional middleman in order to pass on the highest quality products directly to our customers at the most attractive price point,” explains Wen, founder of New York-based ethical brand Siizu, in an interview. 

With that, it is now easier than ever to choose to buy clothes from sustainable brands that care about its environmental impact and empower communities – locally and internationally – as opposed to a fast fashion giant you would normally see in malls or department stores. 

Furthermore, these small brands work closely with their artisan partners, ultimately creating a more meaningful professional and personal relationship. Thist translates into superior products due to greater quality control, skilled craftsmanship, and unified purpose. Doesn’t that sound like a better purchase?  

MOVING FORWARD 

Three to five years from now, Ramarkrishna sees Taara Projects as a platform for diverse sustainable goods.

“I see the brand still sticking to a small batch inventory model to minimize waste, and maybe diversifying the product range as well as having other small businesses  using our website as a marketplace for themselves.” 

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: if more clothing brands are populating the eco-fashion market, doesn’t that go against the principles of sustainability?

Well, not exactly. 

“In a sustainable fashion industry, competition isn’t necessarily what needs to happen. It must be more collaborative,” Ramarkrishna explains.

Collaborations between leading sustainable brands can standardize better practices across the industry. The increase of sustainable clothing brands also increases the shared pool of conscious consumers, which is a solid foundation for radical change moving forward. 

Ramarkrishna agrees. “If you can start making fast -fashion a thing of the past and have all the clothes you buy moving forward be biodegradable, recyclable, and carbon-neutral, I think that’s key to building a more sustainable future.” 

Thankfully, there are dozens of brands like Taara Projects who propel the movement by tapping into the craftsmanship of artisans in developing countries. Brands like Mayamiko, Krochet Kids Intl., and Indigenous just to name a few. 

Consumers look to brands like Taara Projects, which  fulfill more than their need for style. but also give the opportunity, through consumption, to positively contribute to the preservation of the environment and the empowerment of women in communities in less developed countries. 

And, hey – if you can buy a pair of pants, why not buy one with a story behind it?