HYDERABAD : Shilpa Reddy is a force to reckon with when it comes to sustainable living and leading a conscious lifestyle. The fashion designer could have easily taken the road most traveled but she chose the path of a cleaner existence, which came with its own set of setbacks. Nonetheless, nothing under the sun could dissuade her from leading by example and making a difference, eventually emerging as a trendsetter. In these uncertain times, Shilpa talks about the importance of accepting change gracefully and being responsible children of Mother Nature. Excerpts:
What have you learnt/unlearnt during the pandemic?
I’ve always known this, but this pandemic has made it very clear that health and fitness are the top priorities in everyone’s life. At this point, if you see, we cannot do anything about Covid-19 other than keeping ourselves fit, sane, healthy and following the protocol. We need to ensure that we don’t pass on the infection to other people because today, we are the carriers of the virus it’s not a mosquito, a chicken or a bird. From day one, the top priority has to be health but people have their priorities misplaced. I’ve always believed that we need to have a healthy body and a sane mind to do something impactful. You cannot make a difference and inspire people if you yourself are not in a good state mentally, physically, emotionally and energetically. It’s a cliche, health is wealth, but it is so true to every word.
You are a strong believer in sustainable living. Tell us more about that
Sustainable living is not a trend, I want people to understand this. Anything that sustains for generations is the way to live. In the pursuit of economic growth and convenience, we have not looked at the impact every little item has on the planet. It’s a little too late now. In the bargain we’ve lost a lot of resources and a lot of contamination has happened. Water resources, air, milk, food, vegetables everything is contaminated. Our priority was only to make profit, we never thought if this model would be sustainable for the generations to come. So, sustainable living is not a trend, it’s always been the way of life in India. People who have a voice or a platform to inspire at least a handful, should do so because the ripple effect can have a huge impact. I don’t believe in numerical predictions but strongly believe in human intentions.
Human intentions can be changed with the right kind of information. Everyone has a conscience and if you touch that chord in the right way and show people the bigger picture, they are willing to change. In fact, when I started my Sustainable Living With Shilpa Reddy show, I was amused at how young college students are not aware of the impact their consumption of certian products has on the planet. I got so many ‘thank you’ messages from students and teachers, saying ‘You’ve created this one platform where we can go and look up on waste segregation, water conservation, plastic reduction, reuse-refuse-recycle’.
On switching to sustainable lifestyle
Sustainability is the need of the hour. If we don’t buckle up now, we’ll face a lot of issues in future. And switching to a sustainable way of life should not stress you out. This change may be taxing for a lot of people. Many might find it difficult to switch from a plastic toothbrush to a bamboo brush. They have got used to a certain way of life, but I tell people, ‘One step at a time’. Start off by carrying a water bottle from home. Have the integrity to never buy a bottle of water when you are outside. It’s very gratifying when you see the change happening.
On dealing with change
Change is inevitable. If someone gets too used to a routine, they can never move forward in life. If you are stagnant, only speak about security and want a secured life, you will not grow. Only when you invite change gracefully, will you be able to explore life in many dimensions. Now, there is a need to constantly be innovative with our lives trying to run a business in a different way, trying virtual means because these days we can’t do most things physically, etc. Also, sailing through change is the key. People will not get stressed if they maintain a healthy body and mind.
‘I try to exercise my will daily’
What’s new on the fashion front?
I’ll take you back a few years. I started hating my profession because I had realised that the fashion industry is the third highest polluting industry on the planet. And to be a part of this industry was eating me up. Though my identity has been created as a designer, it was not giving me the gratification I wanted from my profession. Instead, it was making me feel guilty. I literally wanted to stop designing but I thought there could be a way of doing things differently, without causing such harm. My clientele were all used to chiffons and georgettes until that point. It was a big decision for me to shift my entire production to natural fibres such as cottons, Indian silks and weaves. I did not want to use anything synthetic; if I bury it, it should decompose. I slowly switched to Indian fabrics I started using cotton linings and handlooms. It was an uphill task and I lost a lot of clients.
But I kept at it, I started wearing a lot of Indian weaves and propagating about it, went to weavers societies and spoke about their hard work. I spoke about how old the Indian weaving craft is; it’s a goldmine of talent. No other country knows these many number of weaving techniques as we do. For my Paris, Dubai and New York shows, I made it a point to use Indian handlooms for my international designs. I wanted the youth to aspire to wear Indian fabrics. After bearing the brunt of a lot of losses over two-and-half years, now I see the change. Now, I have clients coming to me for what I am doing. They want to wear Indian fabrics and they understand the importance of slow fashion.
Your love for art & culture
In our country, no art form is developed just for entertainment. There is enormous amount of work that goes behind every classical form of dance or music. There’s a mathematical synchrony which is calculated with raagas, taalas, the time of the day, the season, which are all directed to human wellbeing. These have a huge impact on your mental state and a calming effect on your system. That’s the power of Indian arts.
How do you stay motivated?
A person cannot be motivated every single day. But I try to exercise my will every single day. No matter what, if I have to do something I will do it. That’s how I’ve been training for almost 19 years and meditating for the last nine years. When I go to bed, I want to have a clear conscience. I don’t feel I’m too big to say sorry. These are simple things but if you follow these, everything falls into place.
Two cents to our readers during these trying times
Life is too beautiful to waste over something you don’t have control over. I will not trade my happiness for something that’s happening outside, which is out of my control. But I will take care of everything and everyone in my vicinity. I will not sit with a grim face because people expect me to do so considering the situation outside, which is completely out of my control. Especially, today, when death is knocking on everyone’s door, enjoy every single moment you have.
Shilpa’s upcycling initiative
Upcycling fashion means using fabrics from old clothes. Almost 30 per cent of fabric in the fashion industry goes waste in cuttings. To avoid this, I’ve started a whole line with preowned Benarasi sarees, which are in beautiful condition and are high-quality weaves. Instead of just leaving them to rot, I thought of making a collection of vintage sarees. So nothing goes waste at my studio
himabindu gopinath@ newindian express.com @himureddy