Last updated: 25th June 2020 ‘ Sustainable fashion ’ aren’t just buzzwords but its the need of the hour and the future of fashion. We are consciously damaging our planet and it turns out a lot of it has to do with the way we produce and consume things. How? In case you didn’t know already, fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world.  The good thing is, we are living in interesting times where technology and innovation have given us access to materials that we never thought possible. However, at the same time, consumerism and mass production is damaging our planet and exploiting the people involved in making the beautiful clothing and accessories we wear. It is time to give some thought to how our fashion choices affect the lives of so many people and our planet and start making a change. The exploitation of labor has been going on for decades, but after the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, on 24th April 2013, the dark side of the fashion industry finally ca

The truth behind the chocolate is anything but sweet.  What if I told you that for every bite of that sweet delicious chocolate that you eat you have the hand of a child slave to thank? The cocoa farming has a long history of trafficking, child labor and slavery, and the practice still continues. Chocolate behemoths like Nestlé, Hershey's, Godiva and Mars are part of these inhumane activities because they directly or indirectly buy cocoa beans sourced in such conditions. Hundreds of thousands children are enslaved on cocoa farms, where they are trafficked, unable to leave, and forced to work with little to no pay. Irony is that almost all of these kids who work in cocoa farms have never even tasted chocolate. Forget chocolate, even getting one decent meal is a luxury for them and they work for over 100 hrs on an average every week on the farm.  The adult farmers who work in the cocoa farms are also not provided living wages and have to work for over 18 hours in gruesome conditions

We've heard of cork leather, then came pineapple leather (aka Pinatex) and now let me introduce you to Apple Leather. Yes, a leather-like material made from apples - no kidding!  In fact, I have a  vegan handbag  in my wardrobe made from apple leather.   Every time I tell someone my handbag is made from leather, their reaction starts with utter disbelief slowly turning into surprise and awe. When you touch this bag, from Polish brand Alexandra K, it's hard to tell it is not real leather because it looks and feels like one. When Alexandra Kościkiewicz launched her eponymous handbag line in 2014, the goal was to offer luxurious, timeless cruelty-free accessories that were at par{or better} in terms of quality but was more accessibly priced than the typical, 4-figure designer handbag. Fast-forward 2020, we can see she definitely attained her goal. Her line of elegant and chic bags not only look stylish but are really well-made.  Alexandra uses a variety of vegan leather materials

Every woman should get a pair of organic cotton pads (with wings!) so they are not ingesting toxins in their bodies when their hormones are giving them enough grief as it is. Its 2020, and we are still uncomfortable talking about periods. The good thing is that while periods are still a taboo for many, we also have ongoing open and frank discussions on menstrual cycles making periods a little less agonizing.  An average woman uses over 10,000 pads in her lifetime. Like most women, until a few years back I was also happy with my regular feminine hygiene brand - well-advertised on TV and easily available at any supermarket or pharmacy. In fact, I even collaborated with the brand when they launched a new product which was softer, thinner and smelled nice. As part of the collaboration, when I posted about it on my Instagram, someone pointed it out that regular pads are damaging our health and that of the planet. When I looked more into it, I realised how bad for the environ

But what about protein? Do vegans get enough protein in their diet? Its a shame, even today people think that protein is an issue on a vegan {or even a vegetarian} diet when it absolutely is not. It's a myth propagated by the meat and dairy industry, perhaps. You can get more than enough protein on a plant-based diet. Today I am sharing one of my favorite protein rich vegan recipes - Quinoa Cutlet with Hummus. This easy vegan meal packs great for lunch, picnics, and even travel. Quinoa is one of my favorite goods and I especially love it for its versatility. You can cook it as a salad , replace it with rice, add it to burrito bowls or chilli and even make quinoa porridge or quinoa upma for breakfast . Most importantly, it is a nutrition powerhouse. Quinoa, which is technically a seed but is classified as a whole grain, is not only packed with myriad of vitamins and minerals but is also a great source of protein. In fact, quinoa is one of the few foods that is a  complete pro