Inside Echo’s Vision for Sustainable Fashion

Fashion has always been a big part of Nigerian culture. It keeps us grounded in identity and is a way of creative expression. It’s a huge industry that cuts across so many activities, fabric production and sourcing, tailoring and marketing.

But, in the background of this exciting sector lies a conversation we do not have enough. Every year, Nigeria’s fashion industry produces about 2.5 million tons of non-biodegradable waste, which weighs as large as a million cars. This means all of that fabric and packaging is just lying somewhere on the Earth, creating landfills and more greenhouse gas emissions.

Only about 10% of Nigerian clothing is recycled and the demand for more clothes is being influenced by the rise of overconsumption through social media.

As fast fashion brands use this tool to fuel overconsumption for their benefit, some are using their platforms to promote sustainability and raise awareness in Nigeria.

Among these brands is Echo. Established by friends Mariya A and Mariya B in 2023, it is a fashion brand that champions sustainability in all ways possible. The vision for Echo was clear from the start. They wanted it be more than just a clothing brand, their desire for impact and observations on Nigeria’s environment led them to choose environmental well-being as a cause to champion.

Echo is a brand that celebrates the beauty of simple, unique and modest clothing for girls who love to express themselves through fashion.

Just as each piece is thoughtfully designed, the production and packaging reflect the same intentionality. First, the sourcing of fabric is done locally. This helps in reducing transportation-related energy use and prevents waste.

The pieces are made-to-measure, a practice that makes Echo a more inclusive brand. Instead of mass producing clothes in fixed sizes, each piece is tailored to the wearer’s unique form and style.

This demands a kind of precision that has to be consistent, this is something the brand has been improving since their launch. Made-to-measure also reduces waste. It makes it so that there is no excess stock that can be potentially dumped.

Echo understands that sustainable fashion is beyond creating clothes, it requires taking the entire fashion cycle into consideration.

When the brand first launched, they used mesh totes for transportation, in hopes that customers would reuse them. Over time, they noticed that most people didn’t. So, they made the switch to paper. Paper is a material that returns to the earth naturally without releasing any toxins. It also does not need a lot of time to complete this process, unlike plastic which can take centuries. This significantly reduces the amount of waste caused by the brand.

Issues like environmental wellbeing and climate change are gradually being brought to the attention of Nigerians, social media is one of the biggest tools for that as it gives passionate individuals a larger audience and connects like-minded communities, amplifying mass mobilization.

It is important that young Nigerians are inspired to build movements like Echo to support causes that directly affect their environment.

As of 2025, plastic waste is one of Nigeria’s most prominent environmental issues caused largely by the fashion and food industries, which contribute a staggering 200,000 tonnes to ocean pollution annually. The government has been making efforts to ban the use of single-use plastics since January 2025. However, there is still skepticism on the implementation of this policy and if the country is truly ready for this step.

The law now exists, but Nigerians continue to wonder if the environment enables them to make this switch smoothly. Without the right infrastructure, this ban risks becoming redundant.

Still, it is important that individuals recognize and implement their own responsibility in shaping environmental outcomes, especially with fashion.

We live in a world where constant purchase is normal. The fashion industry produces billions of garments each year, the number is still climbing.

This cycle of consumption is costly for us and the earth. In Nigeria, where sustainability is a developing conversation, we do not stop to think about environmental impact. For example, one simple T-shirt takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce, which is the same amount a person drinks in three years. Besides that, the chemicals used in dyeing, the emissions from large-scale factories and the plastic packaging they are delivered in are all part of the marks left behind on the earth.

Brands like Echo, which make sustainability a priority, often end up carrying much of the weight on their own.

People who run small businesses and are a part of the chain of production all have a role to play. Sustainable choices like sourcing locally, using natural, recycled, or durable fabrics and switching to biodegradable packaging add up and make a difference.

As for consumers, we, too should make mindful decisions about the brands we buy from. Supporting these brands is about understanding their values, asking important questions and helping to amplify them.

Most importantly, we should seek knowledge to understand the environmental impact of fashion and act in order to sustain the earth. Many of us do not fully understand that sustainability encompasses the entire cycle of production. The more we know, the better we are equipped to make progressive decisions about fashion.