Akshara

I’m one of those people who don’t rummage through their wardrobes once every six months & do purge. Instead I keep every t-shirt, shorts & dress that I have every owned in the last ten years or so. A clear example is the Sheike canary yellow, heavily embellished satin dress I wore to my ten year formal, best believe I haven’t worn in since ’08, but I refuse to part with it. Hanging in between a linen waistcoat & a random pair of pants, the satin dress is exactly thirteen years old & the dress is still in great shape, with every embellishment in tact.

When I briefly swift through my cupboard that does not close & few racks of clothes, I found this off-white asymmetrical dress with a unique form of artistry. I bought this buttery soft dress, maybe ten to eleven years ago, long before online shopping for Indian labels were introduced to consumers living across the ocean. The dress came in a cotton bag, with a leaflet, tagged with the brand name and a label that says “100% organic”. I cannot for the life of me, find this brand on Instagram or find a proof of purchase in my emails. I hope this brand is still around because I can only image what they would be creating now. Well before brands were labelling themselves as organic or made from recycled materials, this brand was slowly paving the way.

Before the ‘gram became the norm & where there are accounts created just tagging what brands celebs are wearing in there perfectly styled paparazzi photos or Insta stories (Hint: @kyliejenneroutfits), the struggle to find an outfits ID was unparalleled. Now just a mere ‘tap, tap, tap’ away, I can find who was wearing what & where to buy the exact same item. The thrill of shopping comes with a rush you get when you’re strolling the market on a forty degree day & find the cutest glass beaded necklace that helps endangered animals – bliss!

At the end of the day quality is paramount & its becomes a question of consumption. Responsible consumption has become a topic of contestation, I may sound like a broken record but it is essential to not only skim the surface of your wardrobe but do a deep cleanse in an effort to actualise on what we need.

-A