INTERVIEW #99 SANAH SHARMA

Name: Sanah Sharma
Occupation: Fashion designer
Based in: India

Website: www.sanahsharma.com

Instagram: @sanahsharmaofficial and @sanah.mehra

Hello Sanah, welcome to A Sustainable Closet, can you tell us more about yourself, who are you and what is your background?

Warm greetings to all the readers. My name is Sanah Sharma and I'm a 28 year old Indian educator, researcher and designer specialising in sustainable frameworks within the industry. Very early on in life I decided I wanted to be a designer and I followed through by enrolling into design school in 2011. I became deeply interested in research around design innovation in fashion and the role of pattern cutting. By the end of my graduation I had developed my pattern cutting technique, Planar Flux, and began a more detailed research on sustainability in fashion. In 2016, I was 23 years old when Lowa State University incorporated my technique into their syllabus. I subsequently began guest lecturing at design schools and later published my research as well. I've had the good fortune of having a mentor and friend like Professor Julian Roberts who is a world-renowned pattern cutter and I owe him a great deal for all the time and effort he put into my progress. To me, knowledge is resource that needs to be constantly acquired and shared. So even after I started my brand in 2019, I never really stopped learning new things. I still keep enrolling into courses online and they really help broaden my perspective, eventually benefitting my students. In fact, I've just started a program with Stanford Graduate School of Business.

You have founded Sanah Sharma which us a sustainable research organisation, can you tell us more about the background of why you started the organisation and what your vision is for the organisation?

As you may be aware, fashion is among the most environmentally damaging industries in the world. A large part of this is credited to the waste that the industry generates. There is an average 15% wastage that occurs during the cutting process. As an industry we have found ways to repurpose and recycle waste, however, it is also important to reduce waste at the source. Additionally, the public perception of sustainable fashion was at the time one of loosely fitted garments in dull, muted tones. I started my label in order to bridge this gap and shift this perception by making low-waste sustainable garments that were fun, colorful and engaging.

I like to push the envelope every now and then to just jolt me out of my comfort zone and of course that also gets translated into the brand's projects. I want to take this opportunity to share with all of you that we'll be entering the metaverse with our digital garments very soon. It’s an exciting time to be a designer and I definitely want to explore every opportunity that I can.

My vision for the brand is to create a robust framework of sustainable processes that merge science with design for future-proof products. We want to inspire people. We want to provide enough opportunity and allure to make the switch to sustainable choices.
We're focused on environmental, social and cultural sustainability to create circular fashion systems aimed at providing an equitable and sustainable development model. We believe the sustainable fashion movement can unite people on Earth to revolutionise fashion from being a disruptor to being an enabler of rapid environmental, social and intersectional change.

Can you tell us more about how the work is carried out today and what impact do you believe that you are creating?

I understand sustainability as a journey, so you don't jump to being 100% sustainable right from the get-go. It’s a process of learning and unlearning and a whole lot of appreciation that comes with that journey. So I'd say that we try to do everything in our capacity to create positive impact. We began with a goal of waste reduction through design strategies and have now been able to also create social impact through textile/craft partnerships to support women weavers and workers. We're using certified sustainable raw materials and also doing a lot of upcycling projects by engaging the community. Our work has been recognised by the Fashion Impact Fund and we're a registered UN SDG Action initiative.

I'm incredibly honoured and proud that we've made a global mark through some very noteworthy accolades. In 2020, I became the first Indian to win the Red Carpet Green Dress™ Global Design Contest in partnership with Tencel and more recently I was presented with the R|Elan™ Award for Excellence in Circularity. For an Indian woman in her late twenties, this is has surely been an unimaginably brilliant journey so far and I feel immensely grateful not only for what it has done for me, but for the impact it can have on aspiring South Asian designers. I'm completely aware of how much this can influence, inspire and motivate the youth to champion this cause and to also find and represent their voice in this global dialogue.

Can you tell us more about the Planar Flux method, what is that?
Planar Flux is a zero-waste pattern cutting and garment making technique that I invented in 2015. This method uses concepts in Topolgy and Euclidean geometry to create garments that are engineered for circularity. Apart from eliminating waste, Planar Flux also reduces material consumption and sewing operations.

And of course, moving to you personally, are you very interested in fashion and how often to you renew your closet?

I usually buy new products either when people I live with start pointing out the need for me to do so, or if I have achieved something important I like to mark it with a quality purchase so I can associate that product with a good memory and would be encouraged to care for it and use it long enough. I also have a 72 hour wait-it-out policy for anything I buy online. This really prevents me from making any impulse purchases. If I think its still important after 72 hours, then its a well-thought decision and I buy the product. But several times I've found that the internet can create 'desire' that we may often confuse with 'need' so its very important to be in control and not get swayed away.

How would you describe your style? 

I personally like to focus on elements in my look. I like having products in my wardrobe that are timeless and I love to style them in different ways to express my creative language. I have a very classic style of dressing but occasionally I'll throw in something electric or quirky to have some fun!

What is a sustainable closet for you?

To me sustainability in any aspect is acting from a space of awareness. For my closet it is about how often I purchase and how long I use a product. It’s about caring from my clothes and building a relationship that lasts. Anytime I need to buy something, I first try to look for it in thrift stores. It’s amazing what one can find in these stores. I once thrifted an Issey Miyake shirt and its one of my favorite pieces. I also upcycle a lot of my mom's and grandmother's clothing.

What do you think needs too rapidly happened to make the fashion industry more sustainable?

In my opinion there are two parts to this. First is the need for change in policies surrounding the fashion supply chain. We need to streamline the system to produce sustainably by default and not by choice. This will help normalise the idea of sustainable production and consumption instead of it being a niche concept.

The second is that if said policies do come into practice, we need the new generation of designers to be equipped with the knowledge and skill set to explore their creative philosophies while adhering to these policies. This requires intervention in the academic system to restructure the curriculum in design education such that sustainability becomes a core criteria for good design.

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?

I have often felt that there exists a misconception that sustainable fashion is expensive and inaccessible to the larger population. However, there are brands like mine that are working to bridge that gap. Look for local brands as supporting them is vital in the dialogue for inclusive and intersectional growth. Thrift stores are a great way to find rare treasures and statement pieces. Borrow clothes from your friends instead of buying them. I've been toying with the idea of creating a shared wardrobe between my husband and myself.

So there really is no excuse anymore for not being responsible about your purchases. And here's a pro tip : Your most sustainable garment is the one that's already in your closet. So be creative with the way you style your looks and you'll not only appreciate what you already have but will also find it deeply satisfying and empowering.