Saloni DhruvPublished on Jul 06, 2022Seven activists online who are leading the change in fashion These change-makers use social media as a medium to shed light on issues of labour, racism, greenwashing and wastage of resources in the name of fashion. These women are using social media to lift the veil behind the so-called glamourous world of fashionIn recent times, the word ‘sustainability’ has been thrown around a lot within fashion circles. While it is indeed about time that the industry stands up in arms and does something about the issues that have been shoved under the rug for so many years, it’s also equally important for consumers to be aware of how this change is being brought about and why it is the need of the hour. Sustainability goes beyond buying that khadi outfit or thrifting new shirts every week, and that’s where these seven activists come in. These change-makers have used social media as a mouthpiece to shed light on issues of labour, racism, greenwashing and wastage of resources that plague the fashion industry.Aditi Mayer @aditimayer“Reject hyper-consumption and a fast-paced trend cycle— instead, subvert trend culture to focus on creativity and personal style,” Aditi Mayer wrote in her recent Instagram post. With over 65,000 followers on Instagram, Los Angeles-based Mayer is not just an advocate of sustainability in fashion, but also a labour-rights activist who often sheds light on racism at workplaces, greenwashing and environmental injustice done in the name of fashion. Alongside, she’s also a model and photojournalist who is spending this year documenting the social and environmental impacts of India’s fashion supply chain as a National Geographic Digital Storytelling fellow.Kalpona Akter @kalpona.amberAs a former child labourer who began her working life on the garment factory floor aged 12, Kalpona Akter has lived an exploitative life, akin to what we come across in documentaries and YouTube videos of garment factories in Bangladesh. Today, at 46, as the founder and executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity, Akter is the force that has aggressively fought to bring about reforms when it comes to labour rights. Although dangerous and life-threatening at times, Akter’s long-drawn efforts to provide justice to factory workers have won her many awards, including the Human Rights Watch’s Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism in 2016.Nasreen Sheikh @_nasreensheikhNasreen Sheikh may not have millions of followers but her story is one for the books. Like Akter, Sheikh is also a survivor of child slavery who was forced to work in a sweatshop in Nepal at the age of ten. Now—as the founder of Empowerment Collective, a non-profit organisation working towards the eradication of slavery, and Local Women's Handicrafts—Sheikh uses social media to spread awareness about forced labour, forced marriage and human-trafficking that happens in the name of fashion. “First-world countries may have abolished human slavery, but they are still supporting and importing goods in the form of clothes, chocolate and electronics,” she wrote on her website.Runa Ray @runarayRuna Ray made headlines this year when Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, wore a ten-year-old tuxedo that was re-worked by Ray to include hand-embroidered Swarovski crystalswith a message in Braille on it. As a designer, Ray provides nature-based solutions to encompass the reduce-reuse-recycle model. As an environmentalist, she often collaborates with the United Nations to educate consumers about ways to protect and preserve our oceans and endangered marine life through workshops. Apart from being a professional in a creative field and an activist, Ray is also the host of Fashion Stories, a podcast that puts the limelight on female fashion change-makers and innovators who are uplifting and championing the South Asian fashion community.Ayesha Barenblat @remakeourworldHailing from Pakistan, Ayesha Barenblat’s love for fashion didn’t just start and end with clothes. In fact, it helped her dig deeper at a grassroot level and look at the working conditions of labourers in manufacturing units. Her non-profit organisation, Remake, is the product of her passion to build a sustainable supply, attempting to put an end to poverty wages, unsafe working conditions and gender-based violence that entwine the ways in which our clothes are made today. Remake’s Instagram account speaks to millennial and Gen-Z consumers with the help of informative and engaging reels and memes.Karishma Porwal @makeearthgreatagain“Climate girl” Karishma Porwal’s main aim is to inspire others to make conscious choices. With her “low-impact lifestyle, high-impact voice”—as described in her Instagram bio—the Canada-based activist uses social media to build discussions about approaching fashion sustainably. Her recent post slams fast-fashion influencers in an open letter where she highlights why, at times, it is important to hold influencers accountable for the content they share and the brands they work with. From sustainable gifting ideas to breaking down practices and policies, Porwal’s Instagram is practical, useful and educational for anyone who wants to understand more about sustainability, fashion and climate change.Zainab Mahmood @zainab.slow.fashionAt the end of 2021, Zainab Mahmood gave up her full-time job to focus on her advocacy of slow fashion as a freelance writer and editor. But if you scroll through her Instagram account, you won’t find any pictures of Mahmood wearing sustainable or thrifted clothes. What you’ll find instead is her sharp journalistic voice against fast fashion and racial and social injustice. Her posts give a reality check on topics ranging from Ramadan and Eid becoming consumerist carnivals to luxury fashion becoming trendier, costlier and more disposable.Also Read: Why are Indian weavers living under minimum wages?Also Read: Can fashion truly be sustainable if we overlook its hidden human cost?Also Read: The shocking environmental cost of making a pair of jeansRead Next Read the Next Article
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