Year Roundup 2025: How Sustainable Fashion Became the New Normal in Indian Style This Year

The year 2025 will be remembered as the inflexion point when sustainable fashion in India transitioned from aspirational niche to economic imperative. The market for sustainable apparel grew by 20% annually, whilst the global sustainable clothing market expanded from $3.9 billion in 2025 to an expected $9.4 billion by 2034. More tellingly, this growth was driven by millennials and Gen Z shoppers who prioritize ethics alongside aesthetics, a demographic that now accounts for 40% of India's e-retail shoppers and demonstrates four times more buying activity on social media compared to older generations.

The numbers paint a vivid picture of structural transformation. India is expected to produce 7.7 million tonnes of textile waste in 2025, yet simultaneously, the government aims to triple the value of its fashion and textile industry to USD 350 billion by 2030 whilst aligning with stringent sustainability goals. 

What distinguished 2025 from previous years wasn't merely heightened awareness but the embedding of sustainability into core business operations. As Nishant Gupta, Head of Sustainability at Flipkart Group, explained, the company moved sustainability "from a standalone corporate function to an 'Ambassador Model.'" Flipkart thus doubled its electric vehicle fleet to over 20,000 EVs, reduced packaging weight per shipment by 72% compared to 2021 benchmarks, and expanded its network of zero-waste facilities to 12 sites nationwide, achieving waste diversion rates exceeding 96%.

Perhaps most significantly, sustainability ceased being a differentiator and became a baseline expectation. Kriti Tula of Doodlage observed that "the broader conversation around sustainable fashion this year has become more demanding and, in many ways, more honest. There is growing scrutiny around greenwashing, more talk of regulation, and a stronger expectation that brands prove impact with data, not just narratives."

The Gen Z Paradox Where Speed Meets Conscience

The year's most fascinating trend emerged from what Flipkart's FlipTrends 2025 report identified as the "Gen Z Paradox": a generation simultaneously driving high-velocity viral trends whilst being the most vocal advocates for sustainability. Key factors influencing Gen Z's fashion-related buying decisions include comfort, price, and sustainability, with younger buyers considering a brand's values when choosing what to buy.

The Gen Z influence extended beyond purchasing patterns to reshape entire business models. Deloitte's 2025 survey demonstrated that environmental anxiety and purposeful consumption are recurrent themes, with younger buyers considering a brand's values when choosing what to buy and where to work. This cohort's financial pressure coexisted with aspirational behaviour, they traded up for meaningful purchases whilst simultaneously hunting for value through dupes, outlets, and resale platforms.

The data reveals the scale of this shift: the luxury resale market is growing 3 to 4 times faster than the overall first-hand global apparel market, whilst apparel and luxury spending dropped 7% in early 2025, even as fast fashion and thrift grew 5%. This wasn't contradiction but sophistication—consumers learned to distinguish between items worthy of investment and those suitable for rental or resale.

From Theory to Infrastructure Of A Circular Economy

If previous years witnessed circular fashion as an aspirational concept, 2025 marked its maturation into functioning infrastructure. The global circular fashion market, valued at USD 6.78 billion in 2024, reached USD 7.48 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit USD 18.42 billion by 2035, representing a CAGR of 9.43%. India emerged as a growth leader, with the online clothing rental market expanding at 11.9% CAGR.

The rental economy's expansion proved particularly instructive. A single outfit can prevent as many as nine new purchases, with India's online rental fashion market expanding at roughly 11% CAGR globally. Platforms evolved from niche wedding-wear services to comprehensive wardrobe solutions, with customer-to-customer channels enabling luxury wear recirculation. Significantly, pre-pandemic, rented items were often a year old when listed, but in 2025 many pieces were rented out within days—demonstrating rental's normalisation.

Doodlage exemplified circularity's industrial scaling. As Kriti Tula, founder of the brand told us, “We expanded our B2B work with large conglomerates, taking back their old uniforms, recycling them into new high‑quality fibre, and turning that into products like bags and coasters, while also redesigning future uniforms in blends that are easier to recycle again. On the customer side, our take‑back programme now accepts garments from any brand, which we sort for resale, upcycling or recycling with specialist partners, so more clothing re‑enters the system instead of ending up in landfill.”

The infrastructure supporting circularity also matured significantly. Canadian non-profit which works with multiple brands like Doodlage and e-commerce platforms like Flipkart for their sustainability initiatives and circular changes, Canopy's India Hub Director Shruti Singh noted the most meaningful advance was "the initiative to develop a blended finance platform anchored in India, aimed at scaling the production of paper packaging and viscose/lyocell textiles made from low-carbon alternatives such as agricultural residues and post-consumer textiles." This represented, she explained, "a shift from piecemeal attempts towards structural change—recognising that robust infrastructure and targeted investment are critical to unlocking sustainable alternatives at scale."

Material Consciousness and Longevity Over Disposability

The year witnessed a fundamental reconceptualisation of what "sustainable" means, moving beyond material sourcing to embrace lifecycle thinking. TZÁR founder Shalini Singh articulated this shift, "The idea is to have one thing used a thousand times instead of having to use it a couple of times, even if it's cheaper." Her brand's focus on vegetable-tanned leather that develops patina over time challenged assumptions that leather inherently contradicts sustainability principles.

The "per wear value" philosophy, calculating that a product worn a thousand times proves more sustainable than cheaper alternatives replaced annually, represented maturing conversation about true environmental impact. TZÁR’s introduction of post-sales service, where jackets are shined, repaired, buttons replaced, and panels fixed after five years, directly confronted disposability culture. As Shalini noted, "We at TZÁR firstly tell people that until five years nothing is going to happen to your jacket, even a small button will not fall off, but after these five years if there's anything that happens we have this after-sales service."

This longevity focus extended across categories. Nimmit founder Manish Shah emphasised "questioning excess, respecting materials, and designing pieces that are meant to last, both functionally and emotionally." His work with heritage techniques including block printing, natural dye, kantha, and Ajrakh, alongside Longpi black pottery and Raku-fired ceramics, demonstrated how circularity exists within Indian craft traditions. "Reuse, repair, layering, and reinvention have existed long before they became industry terminology," Shah observed.

The material conversation also grew more nuanced. Kriti from Doodlage added "new closed-loop materials made from agro-waste with zero chemical run-offs and lower energy use, accepting that truly responsible raw material will always be costlier and produced in smaller, more intentional volumes—reinforcing our 'buy less, buy better' philosophy."

‘The Great Muting’ and Investment Pieces Over Trend Churn

A complementary trend emerged that TZÁR’sShalini termed "the great muting", a decisive shift towards minimalism, muted tones, and investment pieces that transcended seasonal trends. This movement, also symbolised by Pantone declaring "cloud dancer" as colour of the year, reflected deeper changes in consumer psychology.

"People are going for bush coats and people are going for sports coats and blazers and one hero piece in their wardrobe that they can style in multiple ways," Shalini explained. "I think that is also ultimately leading to sustainability, people are buying less amount of clothing and ultimately they are buying hero products and they are styling in certain ways."

Flipkart's data supported this shift, revealing that even amidst high-velocity trend cycles, consumers sought products enabling repeated use. The company's strategic focus on Flipkart Green, simplifying the shopping experience by bringing together certified sustainable products, addressed this demand for curated, responsible commerce without sacrificing style or convenience.

Looking ahead, the insights from 2025 suggest sustainability's evolution from peripheral concern to central organising principle will only accelerate. As Canopy's Singh noted, "consumer expectations are increasingly clear: responsible, low-impact materials are desired. And now, global regulations and supply chain transparency requirements are reinforcing that shift." For Indian brands and producers, this represents not merely challenge but "strategic opening"—an opportunity to lead global markets by integrating sustainable inputs and traceability into sourcing, thereby boosting competitiveness whilst reducing exposure to climate-related and compliance risks.

The year proved that sustainability and profitability need not conflict. In 2025, they became inextricably linked.