A fashion designer on TikTok is here to call out the fashion industry — and she's not pulling her punches.
TikToker Niharika Elety (@nihaelety) is the founder of the Tega Collective, an environmentally conscious fashion brand drawing influence from indigenous communities around the globe. She's also an outspoken critic of mainstream fashion practices that are harmful to workers and the environment.
Elety's TikTok channel is full of videos criticizing the fashion industry in general and calling out specific brands in particular.
In one video, she talks about the heavy use of synthetic fabric in modern clothing, saying the industry is "making over ⅔ of the world's clothing from oil, increasing everyone's dependence on it!"
In another, she quickly lists several luxury brands she won't associate with due to worker abuses and wasteful practices, including Prada, Dior, and Gucci.
A third video highlights a recent announcement that Kourtney Kardshian will represent clothing brand BooHoo as an ambassador for its new sustainability measures — prompting Elety to call out, "A billionaire private jet setter and climate criminal is a sustainable fashion ambassador?"
@nihaelety #greenscreen Why are we giving billionaires more money to create clothes we don't need, making the climate crisis worse when it is already causing floods and displacing 33 million people? All under the marketing of 'sustainability' #sustainablefashion #greenwashing #garmentworkers #boohoo #kourtneykardashian #personalstyle #sustainability #climatecrisis #fashiontiktok #climatecrisis #pakistanfloods #indiafloods #billionaire ♬ original sound - Niharika Elety
Products and manufacturing methods are considered "sustainable" if they can be continued long-term without damaging our planet.
For example, natural fibers like linen are sustainable because they come from plants that can be regrown easily, as many times as needed, without causing a ton of pollution or other damage to our environment. Synthetic fibers like polyester are not sustainable because they're made from the world's limited supply of oil — which often pollutes the soil and water where it's harvested — and because they don't break down naturally at the end of their life.
Moving to more sustainable manufacturing often means using higher-quality materials that look better and last longer, which is good for customers as well as the environment.
Elety also showcases products and brands that she does approve of on her page. A recent video of her favorites includes Abacaxi, Christy Dawn, Etica Denim, Tonle, and others, alongside her own Tega Collective brand.
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