We all wear clothes. But do we know what our clothes are made of, where they were made or who made them? Those were some of the questions that fashion and sustainability professionals and enthusiasts asked at a recent screening of Alex James’ documentary Slowing Down Fast Fashion .
The documentary addressed the issue of ‘Fast Fashion’ – fashion that mimics the catwalk and is mass produced for millions around the world. It also had the message that these clothes are made from synthetic fibres which do not last long and are cheap.
The result of this fashion, Alex James points out, is the never-ending pile up of non-biodegradable material in landfills.
Post the screening, Abhishek Jani, CEO of Fairtrade India, talked about the ramifications of disposable fashion and encouraged the audience to interact on these lines. The audience went on to discuss about asking retailers where our clothes are made, driving people towards being more aware of where their clothes come from, made by whom and at what cost.
Aloka D’souza, a designer who strives for sustainability in her work, had a lot to say. “It is important to have a documentary like this, which explains to the common man the consequences of their choices and gets them to give it a little thought.” The solution to the issue, she added, “is going back to natural fabrics that are better for the environment,” which is also something that the documentary highlighted.
The audience were also persuaded to participate in the ‘Show Your Label’ challenge which entails wearing your clothes inside out and posting pictures of it on social media. Hansika Singh of EcoFolk also spoke to participants about her experience working for a fashion retail brand and the importance of adopting sustainable fashion to keep the earth alive for longer.
The discussion then moved to smaller groups where participants talked about how the documentary helped create an awareness about the issue of ‘fast fashion’ which they later presented on stage.
Though there were opposing views and interesting points put forth, the documentary was a catalyst to discussion, which is one of the first steps towards change, as observed by many in the audience.
“I think of sustainability in the triple bottom-line point-of-view – people, planet and profit and you give all these pillars equal importance,” said Roshni Rajendra of GreenStitched. “To be a sustainable business in any field would require you to be a profit-making venture while also caring for the people that are part of your supply chain as well as the environment.” The fashion industry is the second-most polluting industry in the world and the documentary confronted high-end fashion chains on their responsibility of being more ethical and transparent with regard to the material they use and the human rights of the people who make this material into a fashionable skirt or kurti.
The session ended with people going back home, a little more aware of the cost of the clothes on their backs than they were before, thanks to Alex James’ question, “How do we slow down fast fashion?”
