Fashion designer from Horncastle champions zero waste at climate action event
An internationally acclaimed fashion designer, who hails from a village near Horncastle, championed global sustainability when captivating guests during the prestigious London Climate Action Week.
Multi-award-winning Sanyukta Shrestha, from Hagworthingham, represented Lincolnshire at the high-profile launch of the Zero Waste Hub, which explored how economic principles can be translated into practical climate action.
And she stood alongside global leaders, climate advocates and Parliamentarians for the exclusive unveiling of ‘The King Of Sustainability’, a portrait of King Charles III, crafted entirely from waste materials.
Sanyukta also used her platform to deliver a powerful message on global over-production. And embodying her lifelong commitment to circular science, she graced the event in an exquisite, zero-waste ensemble, featuring hand-carved elements from Kathmandu and innovative handbag materials made from India’s mango agricultural waste.
A proud resident of Lincolnshire, the Nepalese-born British designer is a pioneer of sustainable luxury, specialising in the bridal market. She was among the first to introduce sustainability to the wedding industry in 2011, a move that earned her the media nickname of ‘Green Goddess, Greta Of The Wedding World’.
Her design philosophy is rooted in a deep respect for people and the planet, and her ethical approach uses hand-crafted, cruelty-free techniques, promoting a zero-waste policy, a transparent supply chain and a minimal carbon footprint.
The London event was a crucial milestone on the global climate calendar, ahead of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, which is to be held in Antalya, Turkiye in November.
Taking the stage, Sanyukta addressed the “staggering scale of the global waste crisis”. She said: “The fashion industry is producing more than 100 billion garments every single year, yet less than one per cent of it is recycled.
"We currently have enough clothing on this planet to clothe the next six generations. We cannot solve this crisis by simply trying to fix the kitchen tap while the main issue is on the main supply pipe.”
With a nod to her ensemble, she went on: “Indigenous communities have always been the guardians of nature, heritage and craft.
"We have endured 90 years of plastic pollution that has completely disrupted our relationship with the Earth. We must look to the wisdom of our ancestors, who understood that true circularity is born from harmony, not destruction.”
Shrestha’s profound dedication to redefining waste from her Lincolnshire base is vividly illustrated by her historic design preserved in the prestigious Fashion Museum at Bath.
Fourteen years ago, when sustainability was still an alien word in the UK fashion vocabulary, she was already leading the education on circularity, creating a “waste to wonder” couture gown, entirely hand-crafted from 30-year-old newspapers. By transforming literal refuse into a museum masterpiece, she ignited a vital, ongoing industry conversation.
The whole London event demonstrated that when innovation, ancestry and empathy converge, a genuinely restorative future for global fashion is entirely within reach.
From Lincolnshire to the global stage, Shrestha continues to pave the way towards COP31, proving that sustainable luxury can simultaneously heal the environment while driving vital socio-economic empowerment.