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VOGUE INDIAAPRIL 2020 www.vogue.in

PHOTOGRAPHER: ALEXANDER NEUMAN. CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND MODEL: MARINA TESTINO. ART DIRECTION & STYLING: ANGELA KUSEN. HAIR AND MAKEUP: WINNIE CALVAR. PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: RICKY CHAVEZ. ASSISTANT STYLIST: JUAN CASFER , page-turner, , andnow, influencer Price OfFast Fashion And The titles. Journalist andthought fashion. author with twobestselling digs deeper intoher latest us rethinking the future of Her résumé reads writer, Future OfClothes Akanksha Kamath , Dana Thomas has Fashionopolis: The www.vogue.in VOGUE INDIAAPRIL 2020

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VOGUE INDIAAPRIL 2020 of a crime novel. The matter at hand? No less than a crime. of acrimenovel.Thematterathand?Nolessthancrime. apps, scrolling, Yet, comepayday,weareguiltyoftappingopenourshopping desh, itbroughttotheforeallthatwaswrongwithfastfashion. be sacked.’ were subjectedtopregnancytests;ifonecamebackpositive,she’d stroom onceinthemorningandafternoon... ter. Workerswereforbiddentospeak.Theycouldonlyusethere- Honduras: ‘Thedrinkingwaterreportedlycontainedfaecalmat- the bookreadsascenesimilartoRanaPlaza,butmilesawayin O (The books of Charles Dickens and Friedrich Engels carry proof (The booksofCharlesDickens and FriedrichEngelscarryproof and thenshipitaroundtheworld. Theworkersweretreatedbadly. is one.Theywouldbringincotton fromIndia,processitinEngland that datesback200yearstoEngland’s ‘Cottonopolis’,Manchester, DANA THOMAS:Thatwe still useanarchaicsystemof production PROBLEMS AKANKSHA KAMATH:WHATARESOMEOFTHE to 100billionannually, tween 2000and2014,thenumberofgarmentsproduceddoubled fashion shows,”shetellsme.Withthat,uncoversfacts(be- trigue. Iamnotworriedaboutoffendingpeopleorlosingaccessto and magazineeditors,soIdon’tgetcaughtupintheindustry- the fashionindustry.Iamnotpartofthattribe400designers write thisbecauseIhavealwaysbeenareporterfromoutsideof wasn’t aprovisionalproject, back, whatwill? our phoneinterview: the longandarduousroadtowardssustainability.Excerptsfrom more intention). and my solutions (brands should go zero- over whereandhowtheirclothesaremade),offers sulting inoff-shoringwithbrandshavingminimumtonocontrol balisation andcapitalism, person ontheplanet),exposesreasonstohowwegothere(glo- f Clothes, When the2013firebrokeoutinRanaPlaza,Dhaka, For Thomas, writing an honest account of her experiences For Thomas,writinganhonestaccountofherexperiences Here, Thomas sheds light on her discoveries, revelations, and Here, Thomasshedslightonherdiscoveries,revelations,and favourite: Ifthatdoesn’tmakeyoucringethe a 350- THAT andadding10itemstoour www.vogue.in page olis: ThePriceO Thomas publishedherthirdbook—Fashionop- in manyways,herlife.InSeptember2019, also setsherintentionfortherestofdayand vintage,” shesaysofhermorningroutinethat “So Iguess, over thephonefromFrance,whereshelives. as, asshegreetsmeveryearlyinthemorning now wasmygrandmother’s,”saysDanaThom- ou know, we, as consumers, ought to get dressed with we, asconsumers,oughttogetdressedwith PLAGUE tell-all, equalling withshort- US? butanecessity. the teacup I am drinking from right the teacupIamdrinkingfromright inaway,

with thegripping, fourteen newgarments waste, the problem is volume, waste, the problem is volume, f FastFashionA term megaprofitgoals, westartourdayhere cart. An excerpt from cart. Anexcerptfrom “I have been able to “Ihavebeenableto 899 shirt off your 899shirtoffyour sensorial writing sensorial writing nd T he Future he Future for every for every Women Women Bangla- with with re-

cent in a wrought system. But how do you contribute to fashion cent in a wrought system. But how do you contribute to fashion book along with her colleagues at fashion week. Theyfeltcompla- all livein‘Fashionopolis’. dressed in the morning or working in the industry. Like it or not, we shiny towersabove.Fashiontouches allofus,whetheritisgetting worked undergroundtomakemoneyforthepeoplewholivedin lis (1927),whichdepictedasimilarlyunjustsystemwherepeople While deliberatingthetitle,IrewatchedFritzLang’sfilmMetropo - enough.) It’soneofthereasonsInamedmybook‘Fashionopolis’. I was recently talking to a magazine editor who was reading the I wasrecentlytalkingtoamagazine editorwhowasreadingthe OUR INCREASINGLY INSECURITIES AND SHORT ATTENTION INDULGE INWHAT FASHION IMAGES TAUNTING USTO ONE EXECUTIVE DEMOCRATISED SPANS. WEARE BRINGING HIGH DESIGN TO THE MASS MARKET. A ‘TEMPORARY DESCRIBED AS PREYS ONOUR “SOME ARGUE BARRAGE OF BEGGING US, BUT ITALSO STREET HAS FASHION BY PRONE TO A TREASURE’” THAT HIGH-

MICHAEL ROBERTS MACONOCHIE PHOTOGRAPHY to-consumer andmade-to-order— the brandside,answerissmaller companies,zero-waste,direct- because thefruitisbetterforthem, butbecauseittastesbetter.On simple example:inParis,peopleshopfromanorganic marketnot there isnomoralcomparison.It isallaboutpersonalpleasure.A DT: Whenitcomestobuyingsustainable, I’vecometorealisethat AND LEVEL? ANDCONSEQUENTLY,HOWCANBRANDS AK: HOWCANWEFIXTHIS it’s certainlytheeasiestway. one toldmethatpollutionisthecheapestwaytodobusiness.Well, normal tohavesomanyfast-fashionstoresoneverycorner.Some - their actualworth.Theproblemcomesdowntovolume:itisnot should becheap,whenallalongthesupplychain,nobodyhaspaid also onconsumers.Wehavebeenconditionedtothinkthatclothes apart andstartagain.Theonusisnotonlyonmediaorbrandsbut like apuzzlehasbeenputtogetherwronglyandyouhavetotakeit reader tobuylessandbetter,yetkeepadvertisershappy?It’s magazines withoutpromotingoverconsumption?Howdoyougeta MANUFACTURERS? MAKING CLOTHES SYSTEM DOESN’T GAULTIER ONCE MANY CLOTHES KILL CLOTHES” BE WORN. TOO WORK... WE’RE DESTINED TO THAT AREN’T JEAN PAUL SAID, “THE ON AN even ifitisnotacouturecom-

INDIVIDUAL good practices,it’sboundtotrickle down. them thebenefitstheyneeded.Fact: w mayor), Levi’swasthefirsttorecognise workerswithHIVandgive ies intheUSandgaycapitalofworld (withthefirstgay a companybasedinSanFrancisco, oneofthemostprogressivecit- Jeanologia systemofsavingwater throughoutitssupplychain.As sumption. Levi’sissettingthatstraight.Itnowimplementingthe polluting somuchwithpre-washing,syntheticdyes,andwatercon - ’70s, bluejeanshavebecomeoneoftheleastsustainablegarments, Stella McCartney,itiscommerciallyviableforeverybodyelse. become commerciallyviable.Andifitisviablefor which regeneratessilkandcotton,she’shelpingthemscaleup She godmothers so many start-ups. With a company like Evrnu, others todoit.FromKeringLVMH,sheisinfiltratingfromwithin. but Iinsistonit.”Whatloveisthatbesidesherself,shepushes at just25.She’dsaid,“I’mdoingthisandeveryonethinksI’mnuts, I metheronfirstdaythejobatChloé hippies, shewasraisedtocareabouteverything.Irememberwhen DT: For Stella, this is in her bones. As the daughter of two famous THEY BRANDS TRYINGTOMAKEADIFFERENCE.HOWHAVE AK: YOUCITESTELLAMCCARTNEYANDLEVI’SAS like Cinderellaforthenight,whichisnice. demands somethingfancierthanwhatIhaveinmycloset.Youfeel didn’t overproduce.Isometimesrent,ifitisaspecialoccasionand a lotofvintage—beautifullymadethingsfromanerawherethey point thatit’sbecomingmysignatureSuzyMenkeshairflip.Ishop beautiful NewZealandMerinowoolthatIwearallthetime,to just awhiteshirt.IalsohavesuitfromStellaMcCartneymadeof blue jeansorcrisptuxedopants.If it’s winter,ablackturtleneckor from HermèswhenJeanPaulGaultierwasatthehelm,apairof into my perennial. My go-to uniform is a perfectly tailored blazer Fashion ismyplacetofindsomethingthatworksformeandturnit rently wearingare12yearsold.Irepairthembecauselovethem. I neverhavebeen.don’tshopforamoodlift.Theshoesamcur- It’s aboutreallyknowingyourclothes.Iamnotabigshopper,and well? Whataboutthosejeansthatweredyedwithnaturalindigo? wool fromAustraliaorNewZealandwherethesheeparetreated about it.Tracethethreadsofthatgreatoutfit.IsitmadeMerino DT: AK: WHATDOES‘ our innercirclefirst,andallthosecircleswill we companies piecedtogetherlikeaquilt.Somepeoplewillaskhow mega-corporation thathasoutpostsallovertheworld,butsmaller pany. Small-scaleindustriesarethefutureofglobalisation.Nota Levi’s jeans were the original sustainable garment. But since the Levi’s jeansweretheoriginalsustainablegarment.Butsince can It means to look at your closet in the morning and really think It meanstolookatyourclosetinthemorningandreallythink CRACKED THECODE? clothe theplanetthisway. DRESSING WITHINTENTION’ I say we ought to clothe or feed I sayweoughttoclotheorfeed hen a big company embraces hen abigcompanyembraces www.vogue.in n add up to the planet. add uptotheplanet. , as creative director, , ascreativedirector, VOGUE INDIAAPRIL 2020 MEAN?

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