Description

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

Sponsor:
This Conscious Chatter episode is brought to you by GlobeIn. 
**Use promo code CONSCIOUSCHATTER for 25% OFF your first Artisan Box with any Premium Artisan Box subscription.