Most retail establishments practice “fast fashion” today. It focuses on delivering new batches of clothes to customers as soon as possible.
Whereas there may have been four seasons of fashion in a year a decade ago, there are now upwards of ten. Seasons that are shorter and more frequent encourage more buying while simultaneously speeding up the rate at which trends become outdated.
Due to fast fashion, clothes are made in huge amounts and are hence cheaper, which also means they are replaced quickly. However, this isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Fast fashion has a number of disadvantages. First, while it may seem you are spending less money for a single shopping stint, you are spending a huge amount in the long run. Having to replace cheap clothes too frequently is more expensive than buying expensive but durable clothes, twice a year or so.
Durability here means both trendy and long-lasting. Fast fashion’s “affordable” clothing is often made not to last. As a result, they wear and tear faster than relatively expensive clothes.
The greatest curse of fast fashion, however, is the environmental waste it creates. Only a tiny amount of globally produced textiles are recycled.
According to the Indian Textile Journal, more than 1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away in India each year. The majority of this originates from home sources.
Textiles make up around 3% of a trashcan’s weight in every Indian household. Textile waste is also India’s third most common source of municipal solid garbage.
GoOriginal is a men’s apparel brand that seeks to fight this great evil of fast fashion waste. As awareness grows among consumers, environmentally ethical fashion becomes more popular.
They talk about how “new” clothes don’t have to mean newly produced ones. The thrill of “new” comes from whatever is new to you.
Thrifting, renting, repurposing, or even just “stealing” clothes from your sibling will give you the same feel. Sharing clothes doesn’t only help the environment but creates cultural and personal bonds.
There’s history and intimacy in second-hand clothes that cannot be imitated by cheap new fashion. There’s a reason second-hand clothes are called pre-loved clothes nowadays.
The Story Behind GoOriginal
The creators of GoOriginal wondered why a natural resource-rich country like India would not make long-lasting clothing. After all, India has the perfect natural conditions for the growth of premium cotton. Cotton is arguably the most comfortable and premium fabric to make clothes out of.
Historically, Indian cotton has been exported to the West, with little left for domestic production. Even today, India is a leader in raw textile export.
These brands are immensely popular, and consumers think they are better than anything India can make locally. The most expensive clothes we buy here today are made by foreign labels. GoOriginal aims to dispel the myth that Indian companies aren’t as upscale as international names.
Founded in 2020 by a team of three, GoOriginal’s goal is to use India’s resources to create high-quality, long-lasting garments utilizing environmentally friendly ways. The startup is hoping to make a change in India’s fashion scene.
What’s the MVP?
The team aims to provide customers with the premium quality and services that they expect from premium foreign brands, but locally made and environmentally ethical. The company does not compromise the quality of the fabric at all, while still being affordable for middle-class Indian households.
GoOriginal’s apparel is made from 100% locally sourced premium cotton. The founders were concerned with waste generated by the fashion industry after dyeing, manufacturing, packaging, and other processes, so they took active steps to decrease it.
The company provides customers with zero-waste packing materials and a Thank You note composed of seeds that, if planted, will grow into trees. GoOrigianl also decreases fashion waste by participating in the Rebound, Renew initiatives, which allow it to collect apparel in return for a coupon or reimbursement to customers.
The Rebound initiative’s slogan is:
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”
It works very simply. Consumers may donate any sort of clothing in any condition in exchange for a voucher code that they can use to purchase eco-friendly apparel from GoOriginal.
You can return unwanted items to them for recycling or donation, such as old, faded clothes that have been in your closet for years, never-worn-it-again garments, and ripped clothes. This is the first step towards sustainable fashion.
You just need to send the washed clothes to GoOriginal. A minimum of three items have to be sent to reduce carbon footprint through transport. Simply send the receipt through WhatsApp and get your code instantly.
The clothes you donate are either recycled or donated to other people, depending on the clothes’ condition.
Currently, the startup offers men’s clothing through its website. Products include shirts, polos, t-shirts, trousers, hoodies, and sweatshirts. They come in various colors and are wardrobe essentials.
Sewing It All Together
According to the founders:
“We are looking to become a brand that is known as environmentally friendly, affordable, and creates premium quality products with a vision of making more than just fashion products.”
GoOriginal currently sells about 20 pieces per month. GoOriginal is aiming to be a lifestyle brand for every Indian. It will keep focusing on sustainability and quality clothing since it believes the two go hand in hand.
In the future, it wishes to launch a recycled fabric line. Also, it will soon offer customization by on-demand printing on clothes. The founders are thinking about expanding GoOriginal’s categories to include innerwear, headgear, and shorts, among other things.
In the long run, they hope to expand into fragrances, purses, ties, and gadgets. However, these are things yet to be decided, and accomplishing small goals comes first.
