When the label was started back in 2009 by Vijayalakshmi Nachiar and her husband Mani Chinnaswamy, sustainable fashion was not really something many brands were thinking about. Ethicus, which stands for ‘Ethics’ and ‘Us’, focuses on working with the hand-weaving community to create beautifully designed masterpieces that have an identity behind the creations. Each saree was created by a craftsman; therefore, every piece has a tag on it with the artisan’s name, where the cotton was grown, and how long the design took to make. This is a pertinent part of what the brand does – they ensure that those who make the garments get credit for their beautiful work that helps preserve a piece of traditional heritage. It also helps that the family behind the label are known to produce some of the best organic cotton available in the country. Their parent company, Appachi Eco-Logic Cotton, has been the family business for years.
So where can we find these lovely cotton sarees? Currently, the brand sells the clothing at certain exhibitions across the country, some stores and online. Because their process is slow and every part of their value chain is accounted for, they only have a limited number of pieces. The brand releases around two collections a year and even walked the ramp during Lakme Fashion Week last year.
The current collection includes three different themes, called All Day Elegance, Ratan, and Made by Hand. All-Day Elegance is more for the casual, day-to-day saree, Ratan is the more festive line that is adorned with metallic threads, and the Made by Hand collection are all specialty sarees from Kutch.
Stories like this are inspiring indeed and Seams For Dreams will continue spotlighting stories of those individuals and labels that are making strides in the right direction. It’s even more refreshing to know that Nachiar and Chinnaswamy were so progressive in their thought process long before sustainable was a buzzword!
Keep giving in style!
Team SFD
