Choose organic over synthetic fabrics

Fashion designers like Lecoanet-Hemant, Anita Dongre and Samant Chauhan have promoted eco-friendly collections, and an expert says choosing organic over synthetic material can help in avoiding skin allergy.

Andree Pouliot, creative director, Soma Blockprints Pvt. Ltd., says synthetic clothes have been linked to respiratory ailments and body allergy.

"Cotton as I know is the much preferred fabric throughout the world and is versatile in the manufacturing of different types of clothes. Organic cotton is soft, breathable and luxurious clothing to the wearer's skin especially for infants," Pouliot told IANS.

While various harmful chemicals are used for synthetic clothes, Pouliot said that environmentally low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes are used for long lasting and vivid colours in organic fabrics.

"Random dye method is used where the clothing is immersed in a fiber reactive dye bath. This method produces random patterns by the way the garments are arranged.

"After dyeing the garments, it is washed and dried in a hot commercial dryer so that they will pre-shrink. Water-based, eco-friendly acrylic textile inks are used which produce a non-fading print that is soft to touch. Unlike plastic inks, these inks will not crack or peel," Pouliot explained.