Fashionable, naturally

The fashion industry is said to be the second most harmful for the global climate, as many fabrics are petroleum-based, cotton cultivation is water-intensive, most garments are stitched in sweatshops in the Global South, and changing fashion trends are inherently wasteful.

Nepali designer Sanyukta Shrestha is out to change an industry driven by fast fashion. Her sustainable wear has earned her the name, ‘Green Goddess’ with designs created from fabrics made of bamboo, banana, hemp, organic cotton and wild nettle. 

“Our planet faces the interconnected crises of rapid climate change and biodiversity loss, and we have no time to address existential threats to it. There is no planet B,” the London-based designer told Nepali Times in an email interview. “Sustainable fashion is our future.”

Shrestha was 17 years old when she won her very first fashion design award in Nepal. That was 1998, and she could not have known that within twenty years, her designs would be worn by the world’s most famous people. 

“While I was growing up, the term ‘fashion’ was not in my dictionary,” Shrestha said. “I was completely unaware of the world I got into.” 

Shrestha had grown up in Nepal at a time when families had a stricter view of what constituted professional success. Her father would rather she became a doctor or engineer, and got a job that would guarantee security. 

But she was a creative child, and that eventually turned into a determination that whatever she did would have to be in the arts. Shrestha eventually moved to London, graduated from the London College of Fashion, and in 2011 launched her eponymous sustainable luxury bridal label. 

“My desire has always been to bring out the inner beauty within every woman,” says Shrestha. “To do that on the biggest, most important day of a woman’s life is truly fulfilling.”

By 2012, one of her sustainable couture creations was featured at The Fashion Museum in Bath alongside other renowned designs dating back to the 16th century. Over the next decades, Shrestha’s work continued to garner acclaim in the fashion and entertainment world, reaching red carpets at the Academy Awards, BAFTA awards, as well as the Cannes Film Festival.

But her career path has not been easy, it has taken Shrestha much time and dedication.“It is not for the faint of heart. The process has not been easy, but it has been very rewarding,” she added.

Shrestha has sometimes spent up to two years researching a particular fabric and the whole production process to make sure it was sustainable even before starting to design.

And Shrestha’s green designs inevitably infuse traditional Nepali fabric and craft. The organic materials are hand-spun and hand-loomed, and are sourced through social organisations in Nepal. 

“Nepal is everywhere in my work,” Shrestha admitted. “My clients have freedom and comfort when it comes to the design of the dress, but within that dress, they feel Nepal’s artisans and rich heritage.”

In 2021, Sanyukta Shrestha won the Luxury Award at PETA’s 2021 Vegan Wedding Awards. In May 2022, she attended the red carpet at the world premiere of actor Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick. 

Later that same year, Shrestha, wearing one of her own sustainable creations, met the designer Jean Paul Gaultier at the 2022 Fashion Awards.

She was a keynote speaker for Ahmedabad Design Week 4.0 at Karnavati University in January alongside other global innovators that included design and tech pioneers. Shrestha’s solo exhibition, 'The Eco Warrior', was also launched at the Karnavati Literature and Film Festival in February.

In March, Shrestha was shortlisted for the ‘Visionary Leadership Award’ by the UK’s Small Business Awards 2023. And last month she was shortlisted for the ‘Wedding Boutique of the Year Award’ by Britain's Asian Wedding Awards 2023.

Shrestha also has an eye out for other Nepali fashion and designers on the international stage. She added, “Fashion from Nepal has started to make a mark internationally. I am sure that there will be more amazing talents in the coming years that will make it stand out on the global stage.”  

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