Bandana Tewari asks “Could Coronavirus Spark a Sustainable Fashion Awakening?”

Bali friend Bandana Tewari is a sustainable fashion advocate. She wrote this opinion piece about the effect of the current situation on the fashion industry.

Sustainability is not just about wearing an organic t-shirt.⁠ It has to be a way of life. It is not gods and goddesses pixelated in our imagination that will come to save us,⁠ but the salvation of our planet that’s comes from us committing to peacefully co-existing with nature.

 

– Bandana Tewari

About Bandana:

Bandana Tewari is a lifestyle editor, sustainable activist and formerly the editor-at-large as well as the fashion features director of Vogue India. For 13 years, Tewari has reported on the socio-political role of fashion, until stepping down from her role at Vogue to focus her efforts on advocating for change within the industry.

Growing up in the foothills of the Himalayas, Tewari studied English literature from Irish and Nepalese nuns, then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in communications and filmmaking in New Delhi. After graduation, she began contributing regularly to international fashion publications as well as local editions, such as Elle.

Helming Vogue India Tewari aimed to educate and engage readers in India about international luxury brands, weaving in profiles of Gucci and Louis Vuitton with context about Indian consumers. At the same time, she offered insight into Indian culture with an emphasis on the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, and practices for western labels attempting to establish a presence in the market, such as avoiding ostentatious displays in certain months and tailoring products for local consumers.

In 2006, she was named fashion journalist of the year at the Fashion Awards in Mumbai, before moving to Bali, where she is now based. She also served a stint presenting a pop culture fashion TV show. Following her Vogue departure, Tewari now serves as a special advisor to Global Fashion agenda, became a judge for the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award and is a regular contributor to The Business of Fashion.