Look around, and you’ll find vibrant clothes, muted clothes, clothes that are functional, clothes that only please the eye, clothes that help you impress and clothes that empower you to express. Some are versatile, and some, just there, with a permanent spot on the top shelf of the closet. We often question their form and function, but how many times do we actually challenge ourselves to use fewer of them, the more sustainable ones of them, the more snug, relaxed, agreeable ones of them? How many times are we thoughtful about the fashion we choose? Not all that often, we’d say.

But this trying year gave us the time to rethink our choices. We slowed down — and so did the fashion we picked. Casual, comfortable and chic dressing became our go-to vibe as we isolated at home. We bought less, wore simple, and paid more attention to the threats fast fashion had been posing on the planet that we no longer took for granted.

Also championing this spirit of being thoughtfully fashionable, was fashion designer Rimi Nayak who designed an exclusive collection, titled Bloom, in association with LIVA — a brand known for its new age, nature-based fabrics, that has been a pioneer in the sustainable fashion space for years. “We designed and developed a range exclusively using the Livaeco fabric, enriched with Birla Modal,” Nayak tells us. Ask her what inspired her to strike this collaboration in 2020 and she’s quick to respond, “Drawing lessons from this current pandemic, we wanted to create a collection that narrates the story of hope and positivity. Leaving the gloomy parts behind, this collection celebrates that feeling of spring. We specifically chose Livaeco fabrics for their luxurious soft texture, comfort, fluidity and eco-enhanced characteristics.”

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With its bold, emotive and flowy elements, Bloom features garments that promise both comfort and style. The nature-inspired collection also presents a fresh and youthful colour palette that symbolises vibrance and positivity. The prints are based on a wide variety of tropical foliage and stay true to the core essence of a joyous spring. “The free-flowing silhouettes are also a perfect fit for the sweltering summer,” Nayak says. “The Birla Modal fibres are naturally smooth and breathable, making the Livaeco fabric luxuriously soft. We specifically chose this for its luxuriously soft texture, comfort, fluidity and eco-enhanced characteristics like low water consumption and fast biodegradability that helped us bring more sustainable fashion for you.”

LIVA’s range of nature-based fabrics have been enabling contemporary silhouettes to become environment-friendly and trendy for quite some time, and this alliance with the renowned artist only gave them a whole new life. The outfits made with LIVA fabrics are not only comfortable and breathable, but also non-restrictive, helping the modern Indian woman live her flow. It’s a quality that has also been one of the deciding factors for it to be the cornerstone of a collection that stands for a positive, youthful, hopeful and vibrant future. As Nayak concurs, “I believe our true nature is to bloom and flourish, not to stay stunted or caged.”

To know more about LIVA’s thoughtful fashion, click here. Shop from the collection here.

This article appeared on Vogue India