In fashion, the old formula of exclusivity, seasonal drops, and surface-level storytelling is no longer enough. A new generation of consumers expects proof: proof that materials are less wasteful, that production is more responsible, that experiences feel meaningful rather than performative. That pressure is reshaping how brands design collections, build supply chains, and show up in the world. It is precisely this turning point that drives Nandini Sharma, a leading voice in fashion and sustainability, Parsons School of Design alumna, fashion tech entrepreneur, and founder of Khaqh.
Sharma’s career has been built at the intersection of design, technology, and sustainability. In her current role, she manages celebrity relations, VIP initiatives, press, and creative collaborations, platforms that allow her to translate artistic vision into real-world experiences for luxury audiences. Earlier in her journey, she played a pivotal role at Shaleen Enterprises, helping develop eco-friendly paper-based disposable utensils. There, she led initiatives in product development, material analysis, and sustainability consulting, integrating innovation into traditional production processes. The experience grounded her belief that the future of design depends on sustainability that is both scalable and emotionally resonant.
Now, Sharma has distilled years of experimentation and industry practice into a strategic new resource: Re-Imagining the Future: The Role of Technology in Sustainable Fashion. Written for advanced professionals, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of the transformative changes underway in fashion. It is written for professionals who want more than slogans: readers “looking to lead the charge in creating a more sustainable, ethical, and innovative fashion ecosystem.”
At its core, Re-Imagining the Future examines how innovation, sustainability, and digital tools can reshape every stage of the fashion lifecycle. Sharma dives into the development of sustainable textiles and next-generation materials, the use of AI-driven design tools to reduce wasteful trial-and-error, and the rise of circular business models in fashion. She explores how brands can integrate technology to reduce environmental impact, enhance supply chain transparency, and build more accountable production processes. With a focus on emerging trends like digital fashion, eco-conscious materials, and circular design, the book serves as a roadmap for professionals determined to build a more sustainable, ethical, and technologically informed fashion ecosystem.
Much of that thinking is rooted in Khaqh by Nandini Sharma, a project that turned waste into wearable culture. Launched as a Summer Scrap Drive, Khaqh encouraged Gen Z consumers to rethink their relationship with waste and consumption. Sharma collected post-consumer textiles, unsold inventory, and manufacturing offcuts, then worked with local artisans and recycling facilities to transform those scraps into limited-edition collections. Materials were sorted by fiber type, color, and quality, cleaned, and stripped of accessories like zippers, buttons, and labels for reuse or upcycling, a process that was labor-intensive and creatively demanding, but intentional. All four collections sold out online, generated employment for artisans during the pandemic, and were featured in a University Spotlight Series for student-led innovation. “The challenge wasn’t just to make sustainable clothing,” Sharma recalls. “It was to make people want sustainable clothing, to make it part of culture.”
That philosophy, that sustainability must be both responsible and desirable, carries into her work on immersive, collaborative projects. Through Khaqh, Sharma led “The South Asian Supper Club,” a multidisciplinary collaboration with artist Hoor Imad Sherpao, restaurant BK Jani, and jewelry brand Kimono Dragon. The initiative brought together fashion, art, food, and culture in New York City to celebrate shared South Asian heritage while centering sustainable craftsmanship and modular design. Garments built from fabric waste and heirloom embroideries were presented alongside handwoven Afghani carpets, hand-painted ceramics, miniature paintings, sculptural ceramics, and screen prints. In a striking gesture, traditional Indo-Persian miniature painting techniques were applied on handmade wasli paper, laser-cut, hand-painted, and embellished with 24-karat gold to be worn directly on the body. Recognized at the university level for innovative cultural collaboration, it sits alongside the circular, technology-enabled systems discussed in Re-Imagining the Future: The Role of Technology in Sustainable Fashion.
Her approach to experiential design is captured in the Yahoo Creators feature, “Re-Defining Experiences: Transforming the Luxury Buying Landscape Through Immersive & Sustainable Design.” The piece traces how she is redefining how high-end labels connect with their audiences through curated activations, sustainable storytelling, and creative ecosystems that invite participation instead of passive consumption. “Pop-ups and activations give brands a way to tell stories in three dimensions,” Sharma explains there. “They turn the consumer from a buyer into a participant. Whether through sustainability-driven installations, digital integrations, or sensory environments, these experiences create lasting emotional connections that define brand loyalty.” That same logic runs through her broader practice, where immersive formats support accountable, emotionally resonant fashion experiences.
Sharma’s work on luxury brand activations shows how those ideas perform under real pressure. As a core member of the PR, marketing, and promotions team for Bvlgari’s first-ever fragrance pop-up in India, she helped plan and execute campaigns that secured major media coverage, attracted top celebrities and influencers, and set new standards for luxury events in the region. The pop-up drove an estimated 30% increase in visitor numbers compared to typical luxury retail activations and sparked a 50% boost in Bvlgari’s local social media impressions during the campaign period. Her perspective is that innovation and impact should reinforce each other rather than compete. “Technology can make sustainability more personal,” she notes in the Yahoo feature. “From smart pop-ups that adapt to consumer moods to virtual try-ons that reduce waste, innovation and impact don’t have to exist in separate worlds.”
Alongside her brand and studio work, Sharma brings scholarly and editorial rigor to the subjects she writes about. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Sarcouncil Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Management and the Sarcouncil Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies, helping shape conversations at the intersection of business models, culture, and creative practice. Her publication Smart Fashion Manufacturing: Semiconductor-Enabled Supply Chains and High-Volume Validation for Apparel explores semiconductor-enabled supply chains and high-volume validation for apparel. Together, these roles and research threads give Re-Imagining the Future a foundation that is as analytical as it is creative, anchoring its ideas in the realities of manufacturing, logistics, and market behavior.
Sharma also situates her work within a broader ecosystem of next-generation materials and technologies. Events like Texworld NYC 2025, the largest textile and apparel sourcing event on the U.S. East Coast, which drew over 2,000 industry professionals by its second day, highlight how sustainability is becoming commercially central rather than peripheral. In its Next-Gen Innovation Hub, attendees encountered bio-based leathers and textiles already in use by major automotive brands, as well as Biofur, a PLA-based sherpa fabric made entirely from corn that is biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, and 100% bio-based. In parallel, Sharma’s own Khaqh shirt, produced by upcycling complete fabric scrap and hand painted using sustainable vegetable dye, was chosen for exhibition at the Parsons School of Design annual showcase in New York. Together, these examples illustrate the kind of future-facing fashion ecosystem that Re-Imagining the Future: The Role of Technology in Sustainable Fashion describes.
Whether a reader is auditing a legacy supply chain, piloting digital fashion initiatives, or building a new label from scratch, Re-Imagining the Future: The Role of Technology in Sustainable Fashion is designed as both guide and provocation. It brings together sustainable textiles, AI-driven design tools, circular business models, digital fashion, eco-conscious materials, and circular design as parts of a single, connected conversation rather than separate experiments. In doing so, it offers a practical roadmap for brands that want to reduce environmental impact, enhance transparency, and build a more sustainable, ethical, and innovative fashion ecosystem.
For Sharma, the stakes are as philosophical as they are operational. As she reflects in the Yahoo Creators feature, “Luxury is no longer about owning something rare. It’s about experiencing something real, something that reflects who we are and what we stand for.” Re-Imagining the Future provides that conviction with structure, offering a roadmap for building fashion systems where technology and sustainability move together from design through production. For the next wave of fashion leaders, it is less a trend forecast than a blueprint for how to design responsibly, competitively, and with a conscience.
