Billed as Mumbais first thrift fest, a weekend event at a suburban nightspot will focus on the importance of buying pre-worn clothes
Guests can also enjoy the food and drinks that Escobar serves
Bandana Tewari, the former India editor of one of the biggest fashion glossies in the world, had appeared for a hard-hitting hitting interview with the BBC last year in which she had taken the global clothing industry to the cleaners. In it, the journalist-turned-activist had said that there are in excess of 500 billion new T-shirts stitched every year, which puts a severe strain on the environment in multiple ways.
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The event will feature sustainable fashion businesses
Tewari had thus urged consumers to take the onus upon themselves of simply buying fewer clothes. "We go on diets, some brutal diets, where we deny ourselves certain types of foods because we want to cleanse our systems. There is no reason why we shouldn’t be on a fashion diet, why we should not commit to one or two years of not buying anything at all," she had reasoned.
The main point that Tewari had been making is that sustainability is the desperate need of the hour within the garments industry, which is an opinion that Ridhisha Balani echoes when we speak to her. The founder of events firm Project Fashion is organising what she calls the city’s first ever thrift fest, where different small businesses will sell pre-worn clothes and a range of sustainable products. Balani tells us, "I want to put the word out there that pre-loved clothing is not a bad thing. I want to slow fast fashion down, so that there is less wastage. All the clothes at the fest are in really good condition, and the act of thrifting helps put the brakes on the whole fast fashion environment."
With that aim in mind, she brought indie lifestyle platforms including Basic Humanity 101 and The Ecosattva Store on board. The event will also feature untapped local musicians such as Desiree Gracious and Brandon Ferreira playing live sets, with the venue - Escobar in Bandra - taking care of the F&B responsibilities. The doors will open at 5 pm, after which 80 pre-registered guests will be allowed in at a time every one hour to ensure limited capacity.
Balani adds that her primary motive - outside of highlighting the importance of buying pre-worn clothes - is to give local stores and small artisans a leg-up when the economy is tanking like the Indian cricket team’s fortunes in Australia right now. So, drop by over the weekend to ensure that at least you don’t play a part in adding to the monumental amount of waste that the fashion industry produces every year, considering how - if 500 billion new T-shirts are stacked on top of each other - the pile would possibly be taller than the Himalayas.
On: December 5, 5 pm onwards
At: Escobar, 4th floor, VN Sphere, Turner and Linking Road, Bandra West.
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