What My Bra Taught Me...

Day 58 begins, yet again, as a no- bra day, yet again. Settling into the #WFH life, air pods in my ears with LAUV keeping a lovestruck background score, I send a mental high- five to all the women celebrating freedom from the 'boob jail’. This thunderous high-five resonates across cities, countries and continents. I’m sure!  Oh, oh what a beautiful time to be a woman in quarantine! 

I sit to write about the future of fashion and find that the bra becomes, well, a central to the character in my evaluation. 

When the lockdown lifts and I decide to slip into my silk playsuit for a night out, I know I’m going to want my bra back on.

She (the bra ...henceforth referred to as ‘she’) would make me stand taller, perhaps she’d help my playsuit sit snugger on my modestly successful lockdown- yoga body. The delicate lace straps will add a nice detail to my otherwise plain- colour-blocked look. As if that weren’t already enough...when the night ends and I get back home and take her off, the joy of being home will be felt sweeter than ever.

I wonder then.. if I am I better off without a well- fitted bra or with it? Is it okay to spend on that bit extra bit on the soft Chantilly lace that runs across it? Or spend a little bit more than extra because it comes with a pretty detachable corset? At what point does it stop being practical and becomes a materialistic temptress serving the insatiable capitalist greed?

This ‘with or without you’ relationship with my beautiful lace bra leads me to my point of contention - Is all fashion frivolous?

Is our want to spending on luxury fashion wasteful?

Does that make slow fashion the saviour?

On the other hand, what's wrong with fast fashion? After all, isn’t money saved is money earned?

My independent business owner entrepreneurial mind jostles and debates both sides!

I take a moment to reflect on the philosophy underlying this dilemma. As my mind races, I can’t help but feel helpless. Would I, much like the rest of my perplexed generation, be doomed to forever be decreed either greedy or feel guilty every time I spend money to add yet another object into my possessions?

Lo and behold – the congregations at the altar of materialism a.k.a the devil!

This cannot be a one-line answer. It is complex, as most topics tend to be when discussing human behaviour/psyche - even when it is about a bra, the Shero in this story. My furious Google search leads me to the roots of materialism. Interestingly, these roots can be traced back to religion. 

Religion?!

I know what you’re thinking and you’re right - don't all religions agree on the principle of attainting freedom from telling us to give up all our materialistic attachments. It is considered a must if you seek the path of spiritual nirvana, the basic definition of spirituality. But if we look closely, the premise of spirituality, which is ‘we are spiritual beings, having a physical experience’, in itself presents both the dilemma and the answer.

Religion taught us very early on, the importance of objects. When you wanted to ace your exams, Gods were presented bribes with coconuts. Pencils were blessed or miniature pendants were hung around our necks as a beacon of protection. We grew up experiencing faith, the protection of gods and love of a parent through physical objects. This is simply a testament to the fact that we are physical sensory beings.

Besides, the window to the supernatural or the divine too lay via physical objects - the sound of a hollow conch gives us a glimpse into the depth of oceans, the simplicity of a Buddhist bowl teaches us the power of patience.

Most of us are neither consumed by greed nor driven by the obsession to possess things. It is simply that we hold within us a child-like eternal optimism, which leads us to believe with all our hearts that a physical object holds the power to elevate our lives. For some, a new dress can fix a relationship or opening a box of chocolates can bond generations of a family together. Somewhere over the rainbow, spraying confidence in a cloud of fragrant perfume, a man summons the courage to talk to his lady love. 

And this innocent trait of the human psyche has been long exploited by advertisers, and fashion too.

There exists such a thing as 'good materialism'. Being sensory beings, we crave to experience the world through all our senses. Then, where is the fine line? What if I tell you that good materialism is anchored by human consciousness? 

However, a discerning eye needs to evaluate the objects we fill up our lives with. Do you know why I indulge in ‘the bra’? Because when I slip into a soft nude bra with no underwire, I know I’m subscribing to a day of comfort, or maybe a hard day of work ahead where I need no distractions whatsoever.

When I pick my neon pink and back lace bra with the beaded lace detailing on the straps, the fine detailing on it may not even be seen under my oversized black organic cotton tie- up top. But I know that I’m signing up to for a power-packed day. On days like these, she will make me feel a lot more alert and aware of how I sit and stand. She will remind me of beauty, one that no one but I will know.

Objects, material things hold the ability to affect and influence you.

So, the next time you buy a dress (or a bra) - see it and feel it. It possesses an energy of its own, for it has lived a long life before it reached you.

Some hands weaved the yarn to create the fabric, one as light as a cool breeze brushing past your cheeks. Hands that dyed it the perfect shade of peony yellow. Eyes that double-checked the depth of the colour under various lights to achieve just the right shade for you to experience summer on your skin. Some hands cut, hands that sewed, hands that put the buttons to fit in perfectly into a hand made buttonhole to make you feel secured.

The closer you go to see the three hand-embroidered flowers on the left shoulder, the more clearly you will notice how each flower looks different from the other. Each unique, each imperfectly perfect.

Were these hands that made your dress happy hands? Were these eyes rested, were they smiling? Were these hands and minds that create such beauty celebrated? When studying the energy of your dress, one must study who breathed life into it, too.

Let it be slow, let it take it’s time to become an art.

What was fashion meant to be after all? Fashion was art that could be draped across a body. It was a thing of beauty, which you saved up for. It was a possession you cared for, one you wanted to preserve to last you a lifetime. It was a medium of your expression. When you put it on, you and your favourite dress together..… could be whoever and whatever you wanted to be!

Art in its purest physical forms can act as a reflection of your inner desires. But, a dress alone will not fix your relationship, a box of chocolates won’t fix families. It is only when we put in the work and engage with our psyches, and that of others, true growth takes place and lasting remedies are found sitting inside of us. 

Beauty is only the vision of wisdom we seek, it does not take responsibility to act as the bringer of change. 

As ‘The Book of Life’ beautifully encapsulates the essence of this thought and puts my mind to at ease - ‘We should be careful neither to decry nor excessively to celebrate material life: we should ensure that the objects we invest in and tire ourselves and the planet by manufacturing, are those that stand the best chance of encouraging our higher, better natures.’

The future of fashion in India will find its sunshine. Yes, momentarily we are passing through a dark tunnel, feeling like we are staring at an abyss. But our population is both our boon and bane. The sheer number of young Indian consumers will be our Noah’s Arc.

True, the consumer is in recession and will be for a long time. However, as an economy (here I limit my view to the luxury market), we do not depend upon international buyers. The hit on the travel industry, hence, does not hamper our sales. It breeds in us the value for local: a local luxury that is Made in India, Made for India, Made by Indian artisans.

This is the moment we start to cherish, celebrate and respect the Indian artists that create our fine objects of desire. We take back our power from internationally produced and sold brands and instead empower Indian designers; all the while ensuring that we hold them up to the highest quality standards – hold them responsible for their ecological as well as the social impact on the world.

As an ode, to the hands and minds that help us create fashion, in its purest form: #CareForKarigars is a joint initiative by Papa Don’t Preach and Kresha Bajaj to help sustain the livelihoods of affected Karigars/ tailors/ masters/dyers/weavers and so many more artisans/artists affected by the ongoing pandemic. It has raised over Rs 29 lakhs since it was launched on the May 1, 2020. 

An initiative that aims at not only supporting the artists in these trying times but also moving forward aims to empower them via by providing them education in their field - such that they elevate their skills to command better salaries and a secure future.

India being is one of the last few countries in the world that still promotes and celebrates the fine art of ‘karigari’ - i.e. mastery in hand- embroidery,  hand- weaving or hand- painting etc among others. It becomes imperative that this art gets passed onto future generations as well.  
it is only When we, as the fashion industry comes together to encourage and support the karigars of today  - with a promise to take responsibility for their future next generations, we assure them of a secure future in their field as opposed to seeking jobs in other fields -elsewhere. that this skill will get passed on. 

#CareForKarigars hopes to do just that. Currently, it aims to support and sustain the livelihoods of all impacted and in the future, it hopes to educate, empower and secure not just the currently employed karigar but also his/her future generations as well.- but making this, we are creating a field that is not only respected but also one has a promising, and self-sustaining future.