Sustainable clothing, slow fashion and ethical fashion – words that caught my eye, when Amortela first announced the coming of their private label of clothing a few weeks ago. Invited to attend the launch of their resort wear the Fiori line, I was inspired to put pen to paper and collected a few stunning images of their clothing.

Amortela is a pretty multi-designer concept store in the bi-lanes of Kasturi Rangan Road, Poes Garden. A 50-year-old bungalow got renovated and transformed into a vibrant space for sustainable fashion. I first met Tija Indrajit, the founder at the inauguration of the store a few months ago and despite being busy with the exuberant crowd of fashion lovers and friends of hers, I could see that passion for sustainable fashion in her eyes and words. Made a mental note to meet her again, but it never happened till I got invited to the launch of Fiori, a part of Amortela’s private label.

The beautiful floral hand embroidery is an ode to femininity, says Tija.

So, Amortela in Spanish and Latin means “love for fabric”. But Tija Indrajit and her team –  store director Naina Chandani and designer Shilpa Iyer have added layers to the ‘love for fabric’ concept. Their brand philosophy is to encourage their customers to look beyond brands and through their Fiori range and many other lines, they have introduced at least 90% of their fabrics being made from non-genetically modified crops. That’s not all ! They insist on employing lean manufacturing methods in order to reduce wastage of water, land and energy. Now, that’s a mark of sustainable clothing !

One of my favourites, this palazzo pants with beautiful embroidery on the additional flaps.

Sporty and flirty, this blue wrap dress.

Delicate, elegant and adds some tenderness to the persona !

One of Tija’s goals is to encourage young budding designers and provide them a space to showcase their creations. Shilpa Iyer is one such designer of Chennai, who has come up with the Fiori line exclusively for Amortela. Together, they are aiming at upping the style quotient of Chennai differently, through sustainable, ethical and slow fashion.

Prettiest jumpsuit ever.

Shilpa Iyer, who played host gracefully at the event, explaining the intricacies of the environment friendly ‘khadi‘ fabric, married to trendy designs and elegant hand embroidery, pointed out their commitment to fair trade, which is also a component of ethical fashion. That involves employing local artisans, empowering women and ensuring fair prices reach them, thereby taking them along the journey. And to emphasise that, Amortela had a loom and an artisan brought in just for the event. Here goes :

The team has termed the Fiori line as slow-fashion-resort-wear. They are not in a hurry to introduce season-specific new designs ; they would rather that their customers enjoy wearing their creations  for as long as they last. Precisely why most of the Fiori line is in khadi, a fabric which can keep cool in summer and afford warmth in colder months.  All their designs lend themselves well to layering. That is Amortela‘s very significant step towards sustainable clothing.

And this one here sums it up.

This one, just right for our still blazing summer in Chennai.

Now the resort wear part of it is what I am not convinced about. They are too pretty to be reserved only for resort wear ! The day I bought the outfit below, I wore it to a very happening event in the evening and I must say it was comfort personified. I accessorized it with a body chain and boots and yes, compliments poured in. The picture by themselves are not high res, nevertheless posting them to show how pretty the dress looked.

Kudos Amortela team and Shilpa Iyer for this wonderful initiative of sustainable clothing and ethical fashion. For that is what our planet needs most.

This is not a commissioned post. I have bought a few clothes and sustainable clothing is a subject close to my heart.

If you want to shop at Amortela, call them at….

Details: +91 (893) 9409501