With sustainability as the focal point for the month of June 2022, we, at Her Circle, strived our best to keep things at our cover shoot as eco-friendly as possible. The brands that supported us on the fashion front played a huge role in not only keeping it sustainable thanks to their brand ideologies but also got our cover women looking and feeling stylish.
Sported by environmental activist Elsie Gabriel, was an ensemble consciously crafted by Studio Maikai, a sister brand of Goa-based made-to-order brand, Maikai. Following closely on sustainable practices for production, Studio Maikai uses certified organic cotton and natural dyes for all its clothing.
“Studio Maikai was created to empower the people and planet through mindful production right from when a plant is grown- organic textiles are made with natural, fertilizer-free and chemical-free processes which give the soil it’s time to grow back its natural nutrients because farmers use plant or crop rotation,” says Vidya Sethi, founder of both Maikai and Studio Maikai. While Maikai uses cotton block-printed fabrics for a majority of its garments (even the brand’s now-patented cotton sports bra), Studio Maikai makes use of eco-friendly dyes to add colour with sustainability. “We use vegetable dyes, which are certified vegetable dyes, for the colouring process- all the colours are natural,” adds Sethi.
Image Source: Instagram/instudiomaikai
Their free-flowing range of resort wear comes in a range of earthy tones with pieces that are easy to trade between different sizes as well. While Sethi admits it’s not an inexpensive process to procure organic and sustainable materials for a collection like Studio Maikai’s, she insists on the importance of the same, “I think it’s important for fashion brands to think about sustainability not just in terms of - how many sizes are they creating or how many pieces they are manufacturing but also what materials they are using and how they are empowering the people that are involved in making these materials. Sustainability does not just mean mindful consumption, sustainability is very important when it comes to mindful production because mindful production leads to mindful consumption,” she explains.