- Launched amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Alia Bhatt’s enduring children’s wear brand
Ed-to-mom has witnessed over 10 times growth in the last 18 months. - Alia Bhatt’s Ed-a-Mamma also marked its offline presence this quarter by launching 16 retail stores spread across India’s metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad and is now focusing on expanding its product categories. her.
- Business Insider India spoke to Iffat Jivan, Ed-a-Mamma’s business head about the future of
sustainable fashion in India. - Jivan told us this
affordable sustainable fashion it is achievable and this is the future.
Landfills are overflowing with urban waste, so much so that by 2050, India is said to need a landfill the size of its capital, New Delhi!
As there is a growing awareness of sustainable fashion and consumers are willing to make more environmentally friendly choices, affordability has become a major constraint.
A recent report by Kantar India said that despite inflation, “people’s desire to be sustainable has not eroded. The cost of living crisis reminds us that green products must be affordable for sustainability to become mainstream. Brands that offer sustainable options that are affordable will be favored.”
Actor-entrepreneur Alia Bhatt’s children’s clothing company, Ed-a-mamma, has done just that – managed to reduce the price of its sustainable clothes.
Ed-a-Mamma’s clothes are priced from ₹399 to ₹1,899.
If more brands lower their prices and focus on returning consumers, sustainability could see greater adoption in the country, which Ed-a-Mamma’s chief business officer Iffat Jivan believes is challenging but possible.
“If [sustainable] brands are … more affordable, there’s no reason why anyone wouldn’t want to buy a product that’s sustainable because you’re actually contributing to the planet, to the environment, and at the same time, you’re not burning a hole in the pocket,” Jivan told Business Insider India.
Why are sustainable clothes expensive?
Sustainable clothing is made from organic fibers – free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, and causing zero harm to mother earth – that are hard to come by. This is why sustainable clothes tend to be more expensive as the cost is passed on to consumers.
Ed-a-Mamma sources all its organic fibers from India, which has helped the brand price its clothes in the same range as fast fashion products.
“If you have to produce a regular product, it’s probably 1/10th the effort you would put into ensuring a consistent product. So people [brands] are receiving an additional fee for their efforts. In our case, our effort is more towards the environment. The price should come down if people follow the same path we have taken,” said Jivan.
When a sustainable brand operates on a smaller scale, achieving a cost-effective pricing strategy becomes a challenge.
However, Jivan is optimistic that the industry will change when brands take matters into their own hands.
“I can tell you for sure [affordable sustainable fashion] it is not something that is not attainable. People today want to be paid for the effort they are putting into bringing that product to perfection, we have taken that responsibility upon ourselves and are passing the benefit on to the customer. This is something that would come from the mindset of the brand. It is definitely attainable. You just have to want to do it bad enough to pass it on to the customer and work for the greater cause,” Jivan told Business Insider.
Mind of Alia Bhatt
Born during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in October 2020, Alia Bhatt’s Ed-a-Mamma is one of the first brands in the sustainable children’s clothing category.
“This was actually Alia’s last dream and her concept where she wanted to educate children about an alternative lifestyle that was possible. Talk directly to parents and kids because Alia feels strongly that taking young kids and giving them alternative lifestyle options would probably plant the seed of being a little more environmentally conscious,” Jivan said.
Ed-a-Mamma marked its offline presence this quarter by launching 16 retail stores, spread across India’s metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Hyderabad and is now focusing on expanding its product categories.
“We’ve shown just over 10 times growth over the last 18 months. We have now moved into the brick and mortar space as well,” said Jivan.
“Last year, we reached about seven million pieces (in sales). This year, the number will definitely double, because we have added many categories. This year we are looking at crossing at least 20 million pieces,” added Jivan.
Ed-a-Mamma is currently valued at 200 crores.
The sustainable fashion industry is currently valued at about $24 billion in India, Jivan said, and she believes this is only a fraction of the industry’s full potential. As more Indians embrace sustainable fashion in the coming years, the industry will only get bigger and better, she added.
