Last Updated:
Is sustainable fashion really boring, expensive, or just marketing? Industry founders break down common myths and explain what conscious fashion truly means today.
Industry experts challenge common myths around sustainable fashion, revealing how conscious clothing can be stylish, practical, and impactful when built on transparency and responsibility.
Sustainable fashion has moved well beyond niche conversations, yet it continues to be surrounded by myths that often discourage people from making more conscious choices. From assumptions about style and cost to doubts about impact, misconceptions persist, largely because sustainability is still viewed through extremes.
To cut through the noise, two founders who have built their brands on responsibility and transparency, Apurva Kothari, Founder, No Nasties, and Prernaa Lohiya, Founder & Designer, Something Sustainable (SOS) share insights that challenge some of the most common beliefs around sustainable fashion today.
Myth 1: Sustainable fashion is boring
This is perhaps the most persistent misconception. “Sustainable doesn’t mean beige, it simply means better-made,” says Apurva Kothari. He compares it to choosing a home-cooked meal over fast food: still full of flavour, just made with intention. According to him, modern sustainable brands design for style first, offering the same colours, silhouettes, and trends people love just created with respect for the planet.
Echoing this sentiment, Prernaa Lohiya adds that conscious fashion today embraces bold prints, modern fits, and heritage crafts. “Sustainability doesn’t limit creativity, it directs it,” she explains, noting that design freedom has only expanded as brands become more thoughtful about materials and processes.
Myth 2: Sustainable clothing is high maintenance
Contrary to popular belief, sustainable clothing is often easier to care for. “Organic cotton garments can usually be machine-washed just like regular clothes,” explains Kothari. In fact, they often require fewer washes because they breathe better, stay fresher longer, and don’t trap odour.
He points out that synthetic fabrics are actually the high-maintenance culprits, they trap smells, need frequent washing, and shed microplastics into water systems with every cycle. Choosing natural fibres often means less effort and longer garment life.
Myth 3: Sustainable fashion is always expensive
Price is a common concern, but both founders urge consumers to look beyond the label. “The real question isn’t why sustainable fashion costs more, it’s who was paying the hidden price before,” says Kothari. Fair wages, cleaner materials, and responsible production simply reflect the true cost of clothing.
Lohiya agrees, adding that cost should be measured over time. “A well-crafted piece worn 30 times is far more sustainable and affordable than a cheap one worn twice,” she explains. Someone always pays the price, she says; sustainability simply brings those costs into the open.
Myth 4: Natural fabrics automatically mean sustainable
While natural fibres are often a better choice, Lohiya cautions against assuming they’re always responsible. “Impact depends on farming methods, dyeing processes, and labour conditions,” she says. Certified organic cotton or naturally dyed handloom fabrics, for example, are far more sustainable than conventionally produced cotton.
Kothari adds that durability matters just as much. Natural fibres are designed to last, which is why heirloom garments, cotton saris, linen shirts, handmade quilts often survive for decades. Longevity, he emphasises, is a conscious design decision, not an accident.
Myth 5: Buying sustainably doesn’t make a difference
“It may feel like one shirt doesn’t matter, but every purchase is a small vote,” says Kothari. He points to shifts already seen in food, beauty, and energy industries as proof that collective consumer choices can reshape entire systems. When people choose better, brands are forced to respond.
Lohiya reinforces this idea, noting that the most sustainable garment is the one you keep wearing. “Sustainability isn’t about zero impact, it’s about lower, better, longer-lasting impact,” she says.
Myth 6: Sustainable fashion is just marketing
Greenwashing is real, but genuine sustainability is rooted in data and transparency. According to Kothari, responsible brands rely on carbon accounting, traceable supply chains, and third-party audits, more like financial reporting than a marketing tagline. “Real brands share their numbers, their processes, and even their shortcomings,” he says, because trust requires honesty.
Lohiya adds that scale doesn’t guarantee responsibility. “All small brands aren’t sustainable, and not all large brands are irresponsible. Transparency is what truly matters,” she explains, encouraging consumers to ask questions and look deeper.
Rethinking What Sustainability Really Means
Both founders agree that sustainable fashion isn’t about perfection. “Sustainability isn’t about doing everything,” says Kothari. “It’s about doing the next thing better and letting those choices add up.”
For Lohiya, it’s about responsibility to people, craft, and the planet. “The goal is progress, not purity,” she says. And as more consumers begin to understand that, sustainable fashion stops feeling like a compromise and starts feeling like common sense.
December 14, 2025, 12:32 IST
