KOCHI: The concept of slow and sustainable fashion came about in the 1980s when people understood the cost nature was paying for their obsession with glamour. Though this change, which has grown quite strong in the last decades seems positive from the outside, if you dig in a little deeper, you will realise that many sustainable fashion brands are merely ‘greenwashing’ the practice of claiming something is sustainable when it isn’t.
Kochi-based stylist and photographer Caroline Joseph has been following sustainable fashion for the past four years. Addressing greenwashing, and the need to be in sync with nature, the 24-year-old has brought out ‘Corset of Leaves’, a picture under her lockdown series ‘Portraits of Flora’, that calls out fake eco-consciousness.
“I knew greenwashing is a very common thing. Turns out, around 40% of fashion companies practice it. The figure is alarming, and more like a joke to the industry players. The concept, ‘Corset of Leaves’ was inspired by this,” says Caroline.
Instead of portraying mother earth as a fragile, delicate figure, who is often victimised, Caroline has given a newer approach to planet earth — of the armour. “We fail to realise that mother earth is resilient and strong. That she can control life if she wants to. She provides the medicines that save a life. Nature is in us all,” explains Caroline.
Making a leather-like corset out of leaves, Caroline has paired it with materials that aren’t sustainable. “For me, sustainability is conscious consumption. I make most of the ones I wear, or I pick used clothes. Sustainability is not just about owning sustainable clothes. Not everyone can afford that. It is about reducing consumption,” says Caroline.
Instagram: _its_me_caroline
Garden fashion
Collecting flowers and herbs from her grandmother’s garden, wild shrubs from the roadside, Caroline brought nature to her creative play. “Adorning florals, I felt like I found my way back to nature’s arms, and I hope you do too,” says Caroline.