Apr 24, 2018
In episode 111, Kestrel welcomes Aditi Mayer, the creative behind ADIMAY, to the show. Aditi explores the crossroads of artistic expression and social action on ADIMAY, and has a focus on style, sustainability, and social politics.
"I think the way we look
at sustainable fashion now - it's been a response. So, sustainable
fashion exists because the industry is inherently broken, and we
could argue that fast fashion has profited off the normalization of
exploitation. As we go forward, I think if we work toward a more
just industry, that's inherently going to change the definition of
sustainability too. It's tied with change, it's tied with being
critical about how the industry currently stands - so, that's a
reflection of who we are as individuals, but also where we stand in
larger systems."
-Aditi Mayer, founder of ADIMAY
In this episode, Aditi shares a bit of her personal backstory, and how she became interested in photography as a form of escapism, and then fused it with her interests in style and sustainability. She shares a powerful experience from the first "sustainable fashion event" she attended, and how it revealed to her a lot of realities of race, class and privilege in the industry.
"I definitely realized that fashion at large is really a microcosm of larger systems of inequality."
Kestrel and Aditi explore three articles in particular, that are featured on ADIMAY, that speak to: ethics vs aesthetics, women of color's representation (and lack of) in sustainable fashion, and the rise of the activist tee.
The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat:
- Poverty Porn + the Western Savior Complex, explored more in Aditi's article, "Western Savior Complex In Artisan Led Fashion"
- "Making Sustainable Sexy Do We Market Aesthetics or Ethics?", article from ADIMAY
- Dominique Drakeford + Melanin & Sustainable Style, listen to our our show with Dominique here >
- "Women Of Color In Sustainable Fashion: Why The Stakes Are Higher", article from ADIMAY
- "The Movement, Commodified: The Rise Of (Pseudo) Activism", article from ADIMAY
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