So we all know the phrases Charity begins at home, love thy neighbour as you love yourself, sharing is caring etc, the bible tale of the good samaritan and the life of many representatives of religion such as Jesus and Buddha and so on. With that, we understand what role our decisions play in the grand scheme of things in maintaining equilibrium on our universe.
Understanding this fact enables us have better choices that are aligned spiritually to the universe and are not against the rule of law of the universe. To break this down, we are gonna look at the fashion industry and dissect the morals that lead the corporations and individuals that make these operations function.
Lets start with who is involved
First we have the raw materials, that are acquired by either farmers, corporations or third parties that take part in that trade, then we have designers, factory workers, retails shops, big wholesale co-operations, small shops, the internet and everyone involved. Everyone that buys and consumes fashion ( which we all do) has a role to play in the dynamics of fashion.
What is your role?
From here, we start to see what role we play in fashion. As a designer and consumer, it is my responsibility to everyone else not to be cheated or for my actions not to affect the environment. After you have examined your role and what activities drive your fashion decisions then you need ask yourself if your activities are in line with your spiritual beliefs.
The spiritual connection…
Now I would like to relate spirituality to consciousness where our values determine our daily decisions. To think that fashion goes all the way back in history and we are in 2020 where humans are the at the epitome of their own understanding, with the numerous options from which one can decide what lifestyle they choose to lead in this lifetime. Decisions that we make subconsciously, which have been engrained into us as traditions have been revised and human beings have freedom of knowledge and the right to know what they put on their bodies and how is it connected in the grand scheme of things the ‘universe’.
With that being said, if our beliefs help us make our decisions, then our role is to make sustainable decisions in our lifestyle so as to be one with nature. However that is the opposite of what happens, and this is mostly because society has taught us that lifestyles such as fast food lifestyles or fast fashion or consumerism is not directly determined by spiritual beliefs and values, and yet it should be emphasised. And not as a preaching and marketing tool but as a way for humans in society to evolve in their lifestyle and be part of a green ecosystem. Churches and mosques will preach against gluttony, greed and the like, Buddhism will teach about balance and being at one with self and nature, and so do other religious/ spiritual sections.
In my opinion, notions such as sustainability should be at the fabric of religious teachings. Forget about the “Kumbaya” stuff and let’s get to work starting from the inside, what does your human consciousness tell you about a decision, and what role will you play in creating a positive impact or a negative impact with that decision. For example if you consider yourself religious or spiritual in whatever form, how do these photos affect the way you look at fashion?
I will speak for fashion because that is my field, but if we dissect every sector, we will find out that we need to take heart in all we do. It does not make sense to me for Religious centres promote a consumerism culture through playing dress up which becomes a competition of social status, taking away the actual essence of humans gathering to socialise and emphasise community norms. This is counter productive that I feel that Religious institutions have not taught the practical side of things and how this values trickle down from an individual to the society, to the way business is conducted and the way law is effected.
When we look at fashion, we see what role is has played to create a great economic divide and a culture of wasting and destruction. As humans, we have freedom of choice as we have been taught, but those freedoms have again been laid down for us with no choice but to follow the illusion of choice laid out to us. With that, we are locked in a cycle of consumerism which is not a closed looped; meaning that what we wear does not have an all round cycle hence creating glitch in the natural order of things.
If we consciously create, consume and live, we would not be duped into a falsehood of choices that have in turn made a few richer and a greater majority poor, and created a system where they have made special holidays, norms where it is marketed as something you really need, with the promise of gaining a bit of happiness through these purchases. Large corporations do not care that they have to sell an illusion to you through the movies, music videos and now Instagram. These make normal people, with religious values be constantly programmed subconsciously into making irresponsible decisions with the promise that a person is going to look like or feel like the person marketing the product. Or that having the latest item on the internet that was won by a Kylie Jenner on Instagram at whatever cost makes you special because you are going to get a couple of likes, and be accepted as an “influencer”. What happens is that Kylie is a money making cow for so many brands and she gets paid for a post wearing something that she probably will never wear again, not even knowing the cycle/ make of these items, as long as she sells out for the brand, the deal is done, on to the next deal, and you are left in the balance hoping to scrape for some more money to buy another item pushed by another influencer. Now many religious people that have delved into fashion might ask whats the connection?
The more people ignore the connection between our consumerism choices and religious/spiritual teachings and beliefs, we shall continue to suffer from unprecedented demand for items that are not only not spiritually unfulfilling, but also environmentally destructive and not sustainable to our self preservation as a species. Spiritually, looking from the inside out, gives us the true freedom to do research and understand why certain products are pushed on the market, a conscious mind would ask questions before indulging into anything, let alone buying anything.
True freedom is in our independent choices, that in turn speak to us and let us know what is good for us and what is not. Our consciousness should tell us mass production of inorganic fabrics is wrong, and our demand for such cheap, fast products is to the detriment of our world, including everyone involved. Understanding this, I believe that sustainability should be taught in churches, mosques and all religious spaces because it is the very thing that determines the quality of our existence and the how the rule of law is applied.
In conclusion, as a designer, my role is to highlight that side in the fashion realm, your challenge is to start making conscious decisions that will help create positive sustainable change. If this post was useful, please share and give it a like and also subscribe to our blog and support our handmade products in the shop icon.https://theturah.wordpress.com/product-category/custom-made-single-pieces/
TURAH ECO 
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