Reflections #2: Oshin Siao Bhatt

On Tuesday 8 December, State of Fashion hosted its second online event Whataboutery 02: ‘India’s decolonial approaches to land, labour’, and the fashion industry’ with guest editor Aditi Mayer. Guests from around the world joined Aditi in an important and complex discussion with Indian decolonial leaders Dr Vandana Shiva, Nishanth Chopra (Oshadi Collective) and Rupsi Garg (Kheti Virisat Mission). With the rise of peasant protests across India, the panellists provided context and history on other issues India has faced, from the effects of colonisation, the Green Revolution and persistent attempts at privatisation. Our relationship with earth, craft and each other.

Under the umbrella of the new, values-driven and open network Culture.Fashion, connections have been made between Dutch fashion organisations whose activities deal with similar themes. Within this network, State of Fashion joined FashionClash, Mafb / OSCAM and M-ODE for this first online edition of the Whataboutery. As a result, they invited creatives Giorgio Topping, Amber Jae Slooten and Princess Isatu Hassan Bangura to contribute to the conversation and asked style anthropologist, creative producer and writer Oshin Siao Bhatt to reflect on this second Whataboutery.

The report can be downloaded here