Sustainability and contemporary influences
 Sustainability 'of textiles refers to any method utilised to attempt to make the production of that textile more environmentally friendly'. The growing awareness of sustainability in the west as can be seen by the abundance of written advice and action groups such as EcoTextile, has been practised in Bhutan as part of their buddhist belief. The eco awareness influence on contemporary design can be seen in the development and increased markets such as  Braintree, an australian firm who have worked with hemp to raise its profile as an environmentally friendly alternative to cotton. It is a plant which does not need pesticides or insecticides and actually improves the soil quality where it is grown.

 I have visited a weaver who is passionate about sustainability and is using solar power to dye some of her yarns. There is an attractive quality in the variation of colour as can be seen in the picture but as she pointed out every garment will be unique. This ofcourse cannot be adapted to mass production. But I applaud the progress being made to influence the fashion industry and textile artists in the direction of responsibilty but my grave concern is that we like Bhutan are relying on the cheap textiles, dyes and yarns of India to satisfy our demand for quality at as low a price as possible. India is polluting it's environment with the chemical remains of it's textile industry