Sustainable fashion a necessity, not trend: Vino Supraja

CHENNAI: Born in Vandavasi, a town in the Tiruvannamalai district, Vino Supraja has garnered international acclaim for her fusion of India’s ancient art form, Therukoothu, with the glamour of the London Fashion Week stage. With a background in media, she initially planned to pursue a course in media or filmmaking when she moved to China with her husband. However, her passion shifted towards the fashion industry, leading her to complete a Bachelor’s degree in fashion at the age of 32.

“Upon completing my graduation, two of my collections received international recognition. Following that, I relocated to the United States of America. There were two choices in front of me - I could either wonder what to do here with seemingly little happening, or I could decide to make something happen. I chose the latter path, and that’s how I showcased my collections at the New York and Brooklyn Fashion Week,” explains Vino Supraja.

She did a post-graduation in Fashion Marketing from Dubai, which was a major point that changed the designer’s perspective on the industry. She was taken aback to know about the fashion pollution and started delving deep into it. “I consciously moved my path and started a sustainable fashion label, called Vino Supraja, which is an online women’s wear brand. Being an Indian is a gift because the country is a big hub for sustainable sourcing. We still have our roots intact. As the artisans’ sector is not well-organised, it was difficult to find a group of artisans to work with,” shares the designer.

After an extensive search, she was introduced to a group of artisans at Chennimalai, Erode, who were involved in the production of garments for the brand. Talking about her Purisai collection, Vino Supraja proudly shares the hurdles and how they tackled the situation. “Using therukoothu as a theme for one of my collections is a long-term idea. But I wanted it to be iconic. Therukoothu is close to my heart as it played the biggest role in my childhood. I met Kannappa Sambandhan Ayya founder of Purisai Kannapa Thambiran for the collection. At the London Fashion Week event, I got one minute to showcase a performance with theatre artist Vaanmadhi Jagan and exhibit the flavours of the art form. People were mesmerised to witness so many colours on a person after watching Vaanmadhi’s performance as Dushasana. They also wanted to know more about therukoothu, which is the ultimate objective of the collection,” she explains and credits Kannappa Sambandhan Ayya and artiste Palani Murugan for the success of Purisai.

Vino Supraja follows a theory, which is, “If the stage is global, the theme should be local.” Her collections have inspiration from the Chennai floods (2015) telling the story of how the citizens stood together and bounced back. Her collection selected in the New York Fashion Week had themes from the construction sketches of the Taj Mahal.

Apart from these, Vino Supraja uses these platforms to voice out the importance of sustainable fashion. “The biggest challenge I face is to convince the customers to think about sustainable brands. In the name of fashion, the damage we are doing to our Mother Earth will not be felt immediately. People opt for fast fashion brands citing the cost. But, as fashion is becoming more and more affordable, the wages of weavers are crushed to make it affordable,” remarks Vino Supraja, who preaches about minimalist living. She also adds that the complaint is that sustainable brands sell garments at high prices because that is the actual price of any garment without squeezing the wages.

She feels that through fashion one can show the world what they are and what they support. Vino Supraja gives examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and MS Subbulakshmi for having a personal style. She tags Mahatma Gandhi as a fashion activist for bringing a revolution in the clothing industry without social media.

“In India, there is a buzz about sustainable brands. People can make a huge difference by bringing slight modifications to their buying patterns. Now, sustainable fashion is a trend. The problem with the trends is, it keeps on changing. It should be a necessity,” the 44-year-old designer emphasises.

Vino Supraja elaborates that as there is mass production, prices become cheap and people buy more, leading to an increase in waste. She also says that the footprint of the garment industry is more than the airline industry. Through her brand, she tries to reduce the carbon footprint as much as possible and does zero-waste production. “I request people to do research about fashion pollution and sustainable brands. Behind all this glittery limelight, what we are doing is damaging the earth,” Vino Supraja appeals.