FASHION KIND

Bazaar speaks to three designers to understand why we need more kindness and less wokeness.

- Sujata Assomull

There is a new trend in town, one that puts social issues at the heart of fashion. Fashion has never been so “woke”, from female empowerment to issues of sustainability and ethics, and it is encouraging to see that the industry has finally embraced a larger sense of social consciousness. But with this new awareness, one aspect has yet to be addressed: that at the core of these issues runs one common thread of compassion and kindness.

It is the people behind our clothes that need kindness the most. The textiles industry is the second-biggest employer in India, and an estimated 16 million people work in the crafts sector. Our textiles truly represent the fabric of our society, and are at the core of every fashion brand. And designers from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla to Sabyasachi have been raising awareness around this, as has Ritu Kumar, one of the country’s first fashion houses. Founded by Ritu in 1969, with four hand-block printers and two tables in a small village near Kolkata, the brand today has over 90 retail outlets and employs more than 600 people. And while it is profit-driven, that does not mean it forgets that its people make the company. “Terms like ethical fashion have become convoluted,” says Amrish Kumar, Creative and Managing Director of the label. “There is a marked difference between being ethical and being kind...being ethical is not being kind; it is being non-exploitative. Kindness goes beyond simply doing what is right which, in this case, is paying living wages and not adding to the planet’s woes.” And for fashion, that means the values must begin with the creators.

CRAFTS, THE COMMON THREAD