The Working Wardrobe: Aditi Mayer
Climate activist, photojournalist and writer Aditi Mayer is using fashion as her vehicle for social and environmental justice. Here, she talks to COLLEEN ROSS about the power of culture in fashion and shares her tips on mindful style
LA-based climate activist Aditi Mayer is on a mission to challenge disposability culture and shine a light on more mindful approaches to fashion. As well as being actively involved in grassroots lobbying for various causes in her home town – including the The Garment Worker Protection Act, which came into force in 2022 – Mayer travels the world to advocate for social and environmental justice, speaking at lectures and summits on topics related to sustainability, including labor rights, minority representation, biodiversity and circularity.
With Instagram as her platform, Mayer documents the work of multi-generation artisans in diverse regions who preserve the ancestral craftsmanship rooted in their communities using various creative mediums including photography and film, in the hope of creating more accessible touchpoints for her almost 100k followers. “For a lot of folks in the West, myself included, we are so far removed from the processes behind our clothes, whether it’s literally looking at it as a piece of agriculture, or just the skill it requires to construct a garment,” she says. “When we have that understanding of how much goes into making something from a resource or labor perspective, we’re less likely to just think of it as something to dispose of,” she adds, pointing out the joy to be had in repairing clothes or passing them down – “upcycling is a huge love of mine”.
On a more personal level, Mayer describes her style as a “love letter to craft”, favoring designers who use natural textiles, and as many considered processes as possible, counting Savannah Morrow The Label and Mara Hoffman as her favorites. “My personal style is about feminine yet powerful silhouettes, but in a more subdued color palette that can work with a lot of different pieces.” She’s drawn to relaxed tailoring, unique silhouettes and beautiful jewel tones, balanced by a classic base of black, white and beige, as reflected in our PORTER photoshoot – “those flashes of color are what feeds my soul.”
Mayer is currently coming to the end of a speaking tour across Europe, which includes engagements at the American University in Paris, the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, and the State of Fashion Biennale in Arnhem (the Netherlands): “I’m always trying to merge the worlds of art, industry and education, and this whole month is a reflection of those worlds coming together.”
Read on for Mayer’s musings on personal style and her tips for curating a more conscious closet…
“I have this idea that, when you are looking to buy something, you could liken it to buying a piece of art
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Find joy in re-wearing your clothes
“I think social media is a huge driver of an ‘I don’t want to be seen in the same outfit twice’ mentality, but if we can reorient that to exercizing our styling capabilities, it requires us to intimately look at our wardrobes in a different way… With that, we’re naturally going to be thinking about quality a lot more. I have this idea that, when you are looking to buy something, you could liken it to buying a piece of art – less from a price-point perspective, but asking yourself, ‘Is this something I want to see for the next however-many years – and does it reflect my style?’”
Have fun with styling when you travel
“On this trip, I’ve been to Paris, Berlin, London, Mallorca, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Each of those places not only has its own weather conditions, but also a specific style identity – and I think we naturally tap into that when we travel. I do a good mix of my staple pieces, which is a wide-leg pant and a basic black turtleneck or a white tank; but I also find myself packing a lot of co-ord sets. I have four in a similar color wheel, so they can be matched. It’s a fun way for me to think about the style identity of a certain city [or country] and how I see my style playing into that.”
Let jewelry elevate your outfits
“I love chunky jewelry, and you’ll usually find me wearing yellow gold. Because I’m traveling so much, and I technically have to pack quite light, this is where I can find a lot of ‘oomph’ in my outfits.”
“My hope is that people can undergo an exploration of culture and realize how that’s so tied to fashion
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Be inspired by the women around you
“I think there’s a beautiful sense of intentionality that goes into the art of getting ready every day – and, being a South Asian woman, I’ve had such beautiful relationships to adornment. Elderly women, especially South Asian women – like my grandmas – decked out in their gold jewelry, or wearing jasmine flowers in their hair, have been such a point of inspiration.”
Connect with culture
“Look at artisans around the world because there’s such a wide breadth of different techniques involved [in their work], including natural dyeing, embroidery and beadwork – it all has so many different facets. My hope is that people can undergo an exploration of culture and realize how that’s so tied to fashion.”