To a gulaabi future

The next time you are confronted with the perennial dressing dilemma ldquoWhat should I wearrdquo shift your attention to the relationship between attire and attitude not just how clothes make you look but how they make you feel Because how you feel affects the ability to get stuff done and influence people Call it fashionable mumbojumbo if you will but researchers Hajo Adam and Adam D Galinsky coined the term ldquoenclothed cognitionrdquo to describe this very systematic influence that clothes exert on the wearerrsquos psychological processesIf doubt still lingers about the powerful emotional resonance of clothing we suggest you watch Worn Stories The Netflix documentary shares impassioned accounts of what different pieces of clothing in all their nuance grandeur and humanity mean to different peopleNonita Kalra and Kirti PooniaBut to understand how you want to look and choose from the multiplicity of shapes and colours that offer individual expression within an overall trend or style first you must figure out who you areDesignerentrepreneur and social mediasweetheart Masaba Gupta posted a picture of herself recently on Instagram She was at an event and dressed in rani pink or fuschia saree In an earlier interview to this writer Gupta had discussed her love for dopamine colours as more elemental than a means of decorating She said vibrant shades tease memories of her childhood trips to the Caribbean where shersquod head to spend time with her father Viv Richards and finding herself surrounded by vivid reds yellows and of course pinkThe result The clearly algorithmicallyinformed Insta post racked up 78390 likes and with it attracted a litany of influencers and designers hopping on to Guptarsquos ranicore bandwagon to subvert or reclaim pink Soon after fashion boutiques began doling out fuchsiacoloured ensembles available for purchaseLike it or not thanks to social sites the churn of clothing ideas and the highspeed with which these are coopted as micro or macro trends is here to stay Nothing then can be a new thing for too long ldquoFashion more specifically clothing has long been used in a variety of ways to suit specific needs Now itrsquos a popular choice award on social mediardquo observes editorinchief at Tata Cliq Luxury Nonita KalraTrue even a colour can be hellishly commodified consider how Valentino patented PP Pink but does the fervour remain distinctive to each one of us as an expression of our personality ldquoPersonal style is well personal You either have it or you donrsquotrdquo asserts Kalra You can say that Kalra former editorinchief at Harperrsquos Bazaar and Elle India is the original bellwether of style And she doesnrsquot mind that social media is defining trends or the fact that instead of shaping individual sartorial identities it is making everybody look the same ldquoI like the democracy of it The social platforms not only allow young people to find their tribe but also choose their own narrativerdquoThere are after all positives as well as potential drawbacks Itrsquos the latter that worries her How this urge for newness and the constant need to fit in is testimony to the extraordinary way in which we now rapaciously consume fashion In India over 1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away every year with most of this emerging from household sources reports the Indian Textile Journal Textiles make up about 3 per cent weight of the Indian household bin Textile waste is also the thirdlargest source of municipal solid waste ldquoThis is the real issue with social media trends I think Whatrsquos missing are posts with sophisticated messaging that nudges you to adopt a popular colour by say looking inside your existing wardrobe rather than shopping for itrdquoCan buying secondhand fashion offer solutions to underutilisation and overproduction Kirti Poonia cofounder of Relove certainly thinks so ldquoIf pink is trending right now who is to say that you wonrsquot find a preloved pink outfit or accessory in your own wardrobe or at secondhand markets and thrift storesrdquo she arguesFounded in 2021 the technology platform helps brands across multiple apparel categories of men women and kids embrace circularity in fashion The key pillar of Relove is extending the lifespan of products aided by deploying a resale programme and launching their own digital factory outlet ldquoLetrsquos not kill each other over trends is the guiding principle and expression of our modelrdquo says PooniaLeading resale platform Thredup in its Resale Report 2022 predicts secondhand becoming a global phenomenon expected to be worth 218 billion by 2026 representing a 127 per cent surge in growth Now therersquos an obvious dichotomy between selling fashion and instructing consumers to buy less but what platforms like Relove are calling for isexercising common sense when following trends ldquoWe understand that human nature tends to seek excitement over whatrsquos new Itrsquos unreasonable to expect a planet of eight billion people to change their purchasing habits or ask them to stop aspiring suddenly Instead what if we tell them lsquoBy the way purchasing preloved clothing can bring you as much joy as buying something brandnew and you also end up reducing wastersquordquo she explainsThis week Relove received 700000 in seed funding led by Hearth Ventures with participation from Blume Ventures and angel investorsmdash Anita Dongre Aakrit Vaish and Utsav Agarwal The investment signals preloved fashion moving from niche climate change and sustainable supporters to the mainstream Longevity in clothes isnrsquot just about garments not falling apartmdashitrsquos about wearers not falling off trendWhat to do before your next purchase thinspOpen the doors of your wardrobe Itrsquos most likely that the most sustainable garment for the day is one you already own thinspIf a total ban on shopping is too big a leap for you to take try this approach Before proceeding to buy anything new do your homework and see if a preloved version is available or you can find it at a factory outlet at a deliciously lower price thinspIf you can afford to buy from an ethical brand Ideally these brands list details of how and where they have sourced finished goods orand raw materials and information about their manufacturing processes thinspAnd if you must buy a new product make sure you pick up something you know you will wear and will have repeat value for at least the next 10 years CourtesyKirti Poonia