On the outskirts of India’s metropolises, a stark and unsettling scene unfolds daily. A toddler sits atop a heap of indistinguishable waste while his mother sorts through mounds of discarded clothing, her infant tied close to her chest. They are among hundreds navigating this hazardous terrain. This is Panipat, widely known as India’s fabric recycling capital, where bales of textile waste arrive each day to be dismantled, thread by thread.

Fashion designer Aditi Srivastava, who hails from Hyderabad, says this landscape reflects the hidden cost of an industry built on relentless consumption. For those who cannot afford fashion, and often those tasked with handling its waste, this is the lived reality. Globally, the fashion industry is among the most polluting sectors, second only to oil. Each year, around 100 billion garments are produced, generating an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste, exposing an environmental burden that continues to grow, she said.

As consumers rapidly adopt and discard styles, the rise of fast fashion has reshaped the industry. Ms. Shrivastav says that this segment prioritises rapid production and low costs, often at the expense of quality, with garments made from cheaper materials and designed to be short-lived. While this has increased purchasing power, it has also reinforced a culture of instant gratification, leaving behind mounting waste and underpaid labour.

Her own perspective shifted during her time at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, where she encountered overflowing bins of fabric scraps generated even in basic production. In her final year, she developed a zero-waste draping technique that uses up to 95% of fabric waste, creating fluid, layered garments.