Fashion - an aesthetic and popular expression is contributing heavily in generating carbon footprint and polluting environment. Sadly, in the present times of climate emergency we cannot let our sense of aesthetics endanger the planet and our existence in turn. It is the need of the hour to explore sustainable fashion and aim for zero waste. Timo Risannen in his investigation about creating fashion without generating fabric waste explored 5 main techniques for zero/minimal waste namely – cut & sew, fully fashioned, jigsaw puzzle, cradle to cradle and A-POC. But like Olympics medalist, Peter Westbrook said “so much of our future lies in preserving our past!”, there is scope for an alternative by reviving from our ancestors, the art of fashion - a draped cloth. It was seen in history (Indus Valley/Egyptian/Greek/Roman) of clothing. A rectangular piece of cloth provides infinite possibilities, ‘one size fits all’, easy maintenance, easy storage and zero waste. It can be styled in numerous ways providing scope for personalization.

With aim at exploring the potential of draped clothing to be a wardrobe staple, an experiment was conducted inviting volunteers from social media to see if they could pull off a month with use of draped clothing in their everyday lifestyle. The participants were asked to use rectangular pieces of fabric styled as clothing. They could layer and use fasteners/belts/accessories. It was observed that the first challenge was to overcome fear of malfunction and ease for daily use. Overall feedback was positive and shows scope for consideration as a sustainable fashion option. The participant with prior knowledge of draping were better at coping. However, it was difficult to stay warm in cold weather. Thus, results have been compiled as a short film to see if the future of fashion can take a tangential turn towards draped clothing.