October 2019 Edition Apparel October 2019 issue | Page 56

FEATURE
“MUCH OF WHAT WE SEE
IN THE MARKET TODAY IS
FAKE ORGANIC COTTON,
AND IT IS PRACTICALLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE
CLARITY ON THE ENTIRE
CHAIN OF PRODUCTION.”
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I APPAREL I
as finished garments are priced higher than their
inorganic counterparts. Mansi Gupta, Co-founder
and CEO, Tjori, says, “The quality of an efficiently
grown crop with organic land certification, extra
care after natural fertilisation, and curation, all ask
for extra toil and trouble and hence the higher
price bracket. Those from the apparel industry
are coming up with solutions to the problems of
environmental damage and if this comes with a
slightly higher price, I believe that it is justified.”
Poonam Naik, Founder, Peekaboo, says,
“Although organic and natural clothing is
expensive than conventional clothing, the price
gap will start to shrink as the market size of
natural clothing grows and the economies of
scale improve. The benefits far outweigh the
high price. Organic fabric contains a minimum
of 70 per cent organic fibres, and all dyes and
treatments have to meet stringent criteria such as
being free of formaldehyde and polyvinyl chloride
(PVC) throughout the entire organic textiles supply
chain. This means that the end-product is soft,
breathable, and free of hazardous chemicals.”
October 2019
Arpit Srivastava, who heads Lenzing Group’s
Marketing and Branding in South Asia, adds,
“While Tencel fibres do come with a higher price
range as compared to general fibres, they offer
premium features such as durability, colour-
retention, and smooth feel. Our EcoVero fabric
is as competitive as regular viscose, making it a
perfect bid for the Indian market.”
SURPASSING HURDLES
The biggest challenge with organic fabrics is
with regards to its market share, which is majorly
concentrated in metropolitan cities. Elodie Le
Derf, Co-founder and Head Designer, Born, a
luxury baby and kids’ wear label, says, “The
challenges in organic-wear are multiple, especially
for small brands and start-ups. It starts with
suppliers because for them, to be profitable and
make the best use of their machines requires a
certain minimum number of quantities, which
small brands cannot always match up to. Another
issue is that much of what we see in the market
today is fake organic cotton, and it is practically