Taking it slow- dissecting the greatest hack to find ethical in the fast fashion universe- by Somdatta Saha

How ridiculous can someone be to put ethical and fast fashion in the same line, that too as some hack? If you thought so, then I’ll consider my work done, now that I have your attention! And with that, let me take you to that one, very less discussed aspect of the current fashion debate which helped shape my ethics in the ever-conflicting world of fast fashion.

So, it all began from a chaos on a spring evening- what was meant to be an article of casual knowledge had me shattered to pieces in minutes, as tears welled up, reading about the lives lost in the Rana Plaza tragedy of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 24th April 2013. Details of how countless innocent lives perished just because of the negligence of fast fashion giants led me down the rabbit hole, where endless articles began cropping up, dissecting their exploitation little by little. And there, being just an ordinary consumer caught up the crossroads of fast and slow fashion, my consciousness began blaming my heart for something my brain wasn’t ready to accept any guilt for. After all, how and why would a simple customer take responsibilities for lives lost of absolute strangers- my brain superficially argued for a while- but by the next visit to those stores in the shopping malls, I found myself looking at those frequented aisles of apparels and accessories like a stranger now. The feeling of disconnection from these exposed practices was too strong to not feel answerable anymore.

And there, slowly, began the journey of being a conscious consumer- of pausing, thinking, evaluating and deciding. Of course I was sure to not purchase fast fashion anymore and began inclining towards homegrown, local brands working transparently, but the switch didn’t happen overnight. Slow fashion was a relatively new space, while certain products like denims were still getting dominated by universal names getting their work done from sweatshops in third world countries. Amidst such contradictions, I found myself unknowingly trusting that habit from our mothers and grandmothers- of reusing a piece till the last thread gives up. I mean, truth be told, of course we Indians are too emotional to let things go just like that, for which even our smallest rags have a story of their own lifecycle, however humorous or tragic that be!

So yeah, consciousness didn’t come from boycotting fast fashion brands in a day- what about that Zara dress purchased two months ago, or that Forever 21 camisole which came free with some jacket? Questions plagued my consciousness, or maybe as some would say, overthinking did. But that excessive questioning only, led to an iron clad set of morals being born, where slow began not from buying “slow fashion,” but from taking thoughtful pauses with the existing pieces in the wardrobe. A generous hundred plus wears out of the existing M&S trousers brought more joy with each restyling; every passing year with that same pair of Levis came with a comfort that felt like a beloved’s hug. And when that Zara culottes finally tore from being caught in an iron nail during a mild trek to Sikkim last autumn, I felt this bittersweet rush of emotions while cutting it down for an applique project, still far from letting it go end up in some landfill!

Hence, like they say for us humans that a life lived well is a gift of love, so it is for our fashion too, where clothes loved well last a lifetime- irrespective of how they came to be in your wardrobe!  As long as we make sure they don’t litter the earth and cause pollution, wear them to your soul’s desire or pass them on to someone who would love it like you would, you’ll know your personal fashion is serving a greater purpose.  So, even if today is the first time you’re entering the world of slow and fast fashion, know that it’s still not too late to make your impact, it’ll still count if you go conscious and give your little love back to the earth- beginning from where else but the existing pieces we own!