#FounderDiaries - 1

#FounderDiaries - 1

SUSTAINABILITY - I’ve been thinking about this word for a while now and as a maker also asking myself the question - ‘how is making more sustainable?’

Over time the meaning of the word has changed for me from a macro to micro level. The realisation that change truly starts with ourselves. It has made me question about the ways in which we function at Love the World Today. It makes me revisit our core every now and then and stick to it like nothing else matters. That also simplifies decision making.

Of course two of the most critical aspects are

  • Sourcing right and the ways of making
  • Reducing waste, and upcycling whatever waste is generated into something of value and function

But beyond these measures, our focus has shifted greatly to the things I’m about to mention. These have always been part of our processes but now hold a much higher value because of the contribution they make towards building a sustainable brand. 

1. Design elements - Paying attention to how a garment’s usage can be made longer, especially in the case of children since they outgrow clothes so quickly. 

Use of elastic waist bands (and ensuring they are of good quality so they last), roomy neck openings, adjustable tie up options, loose yet stylish silhouettes, layering possibilities so outfits are not bound by seasonality and versatility to ensure clothes can be used from occasion wear to casual wear with just a little tweak in styling. 

2. QUALITY! - Cannot emphasise enough on this. The chances of clothes reaching landfills or discarded easily is lower if they are made of great quality and if they are designed to love and last. Great design and quality also encourages people to hand down the clothes to another loved one. 

Quality comes from investing in durable textiles, skilful un compromised tailoring (for example - the use of french seam finishes, which is more time consuming and expensive but ensures the garment will have fewer chances of tears and rips apart from the fact that it’s these little details that make a difference in finish. Another example is something as basic as providing extra buttons to encourage people to repair and fix instead of discard. 

We’ve had customers tell us that LTWT designs have lasted them almost 2+ years (in spite of a growing child) and even after that they’ve been able to pass them on to others. 

3. Closing the loop by offering to take responsibility - Providing a solution to the busy ones, the non-creative ones. 

Sometimes people do care but may not be able to do much for whatever reasons. This is where as a brand, we step in and offer support beyond the relationship of just a purchase. 

For LTWT customers, once your child outgrows a Love the World Today garment, you can send the clothes back to us. We will donate the ones in good condition and upcycle the ones that aren’t. This is our attempt at closing the loop and finding solutions for the complex issues of the fashion industry.

We set this policy out even before we were available for purchase in October 2015. Of course it helps since we started out small and it seemed implementable and manageable at our scale. 

To be honest, in over 4 years, we’ve only had three enquiries about clothes being returned and never received any clothes. We are hopeful that this is because in India we still have a system of hand me downs. But we keep reiterating and reminding in our communications to ensure that customers know that they can reach out to us even 2-3 years after purchase. 

With this we hope we are able to give you an insight into our approach to sustainability besides our choice to work with organic cotton, handwoven cotton, natural dye, low impact dye textiles, recycled fabric packaging, upcycling waste. 

And with this we are also looking at replacing the term ‘sustainable’ clothing  brand with ‘mindful’ clothing brand because every choice we make at LTWT is one that must support our vision of creating a mindful, kind, inclusive world.

WAtaday! - from an upcycled doll!

WAtaday! - from an upcycled doll!

 

A bendable limbs doll made with upcycled handwoven cotton fabric in green colour

WAtaday to be alive?!

I mean that in a happppyyy sad way.

There’s just so much going on in the world and it’s hard to decide which battle to pick. Everyone’s picking battles and here I am, just chilling on my bum because that’s my way of battling. Yep! Chilling on my bum!


But I can afford to do that because my makers put a lot of thought behind me and they say I’m ever changing since I’m an upcycled doll!

I know! I know! It does look like they didn’t put any thought behind me because I don’t have any features or hair or you can’t even tell my gender.


But that’s exactly where they put so much thought behind me. They think it’s amazing to have a doll like me who doesn’t fit a certain idea of what one should look like. The children I go to are free to decide my gender, my face, my expression, my mood. These children are  pretty creative I’ve been told! I’m quite excited to meet them. I hear they are like adults but with better imagination, mind and heart. Is that true? Would you know?


I think what the children are going to love the most about me is how much I love to talk. Oh! And my bendy limbs. Yep! Told you! My makers did put a lot of thought behind me. They made my limbs all bendy because they know how much I love to dance after Gerald the giraffe told me, ‘We all can dance, when we find music that we love.’


By the way, have I told you about my clothes? They are all made from leftover fabrics and production scraps. Isn’t that amazing? That means I save these scraps from going to the landfills and I also help support a sweet old lady who uses her skillful hands to put me together.


This makes me realise WAtaday it is to say hello!


For those of you who didn’t meet me on Instagram Stories a couple of Sundays ago, my name is WA. the good people at Love the World Today have given me life using some of their yummy leftover fabrics and their brains! My name means ‘harmony’ in Japanese culture. Quite apt, ain’t it? I love whiling away time amidst nature, dancing and cake!! I’ll be popping by every now and then and giving you a taste of my life and my mnd! Follow #WAtaday and stay tuned!


And in case anyone of you wants to meet me, just drop a line on instagram message or write to hello@ltwt.in saying you’d like to purchase a WA doll :)


Love and WArmth!

Tadaa!



January 27, 2019 — Dipna Daryanani
New born mango leaves and You

New born mango leaves and You

[Photo - Nirmala Patil]

It’s the first day of phalguna, the last month in the Hindu lunar calendar. she comes running to me in the kitchen and taking me by my hand, she ushers me to the balcony and exclaims excitedly pointing her finger towards a lone mango tree faraway on the hill, ‘ma look, there are new leaves being born on that mango tree! It means it’s soon going to be spring, isn’t it?’ Such a small observation, but when my little girl of four makes it, I’m filled with joy and sweet pride. Because this is the kind of relationship with nature I’ve always hoped to cultivate in my daughter. The kind where she can learn to understand it’s language and realise that life is most beautiful when lived embracing nature. Especially in our present world that desperately needs us to care and retrace our unmindful ways.

And as we attempt to mend our damaging habits with simple sustainable practices, it is deeply essential that we raise our children with the same thoughtful awareness. And this, I believe, is only possible by encouraging and nurturing a genuine love for nature in the heart of our little ones. As an urban family living in the thick of high rises (as I think would be the case of many families dwelling in cities), bringing in nature inside our home and lifestyle has been the most organic way of sowing that seed of love into the core of my daughter’s being. 
Even if only limited to visiting a society garden, or simply wandering the tree-lined streets in the locality, here are a few gentle rituals we’ve included in our everyday that helps engage our little girl with nature. 

Outdoor play
Making regular trips to the playground and letting her play and frolic among the green and growing things is an intrinsic part of a her small world. The wind in her hair, the grass under her feet and mud between her fingernails are not only health boosting and a fun way of introducing good bacteria into my child’s system, but is also the most organic way of nurturing a growing friendship between her and the natural world. 

Seasonal walks
Going on slow seasonal walks is both educating and therapeutic to a child’s mind. We go in search of frogs and moss in the rains, and look for pale new shoots sprouting through the earth during springtime. As my little girl observes and takes note of all the changing details, her inherent curiosity is beautifully exercised too. Carrying a basket or a cloth bag on our walks to gather and bring home an abundance of nature treasure is always an additional delight. Older children can also be encouraged to bring along a camera or book to document/journal findings. 

Nature corner
Creating a small dedicated place either by a corner, windowsill or a table space can be a lovely way of letting our children display their gathered nature treasures and engage in creativity. An assortment of pebbles, seed pods, feathers and fallen leaves arranged by little hands makes for a happy, colourful art on our nature window. And it inspires hours of imaginative play indoors.

Tiny garden
For our little ones, having a tiny garden of their own to tend to is something quite special. Be it a small patch on the balcony, a dedicated container/tray growing a few easy to tend plants, or only a single pot, it a most intimate and tender way of teaching them to care. We recently gifted our daughter a succulent. And every time watching her excitedly watering and holding conversations with it, is a thing of joy. 

Nature gifts
Learning to create with natural things and giving it as gifts to others will perhaps be the fundamental of all the environmental friendly things our children will grow up to do all throughout their lives. Leaf and rock painting, weaving floral garlands and wreaths, making pressed flower cards for friends and family, however imperfect are all small acts of thoughtful creating and giving. Encouraging this, gives them the right roots early on.


Outside on the hill, as those new born leaves herald spring and a sweet anticipation for the coming mango season, inside our home, and I hope in every home, our little ones are  blossoming into nature lovers and learning to live an echo-rich life.

[Nirmala Patil]