An Indian Hindu devotee performs rituals in the Yamuna river, covered by chemical foam caused due to industrial and domestic pollution, during the Chhath Puja festival in New Delhi, India on November 2, 2019 [File: Altaf Qadri/AP]
Two winters ago, while driving into Delhi at the crack of dawn, I found myself staring at looming soft mountains of candy pink foam rising from the grey surface of the river Yamuna. This surreal image with its perfectly complementary hues could well have been from a fashion editorial made for Instagram. But, ironically, the tableau was representative of the dark face of fashion that remains in the shadows – the face, not just of the rising consumption of clothes around the globe, but also of the true cost of cheap, ready-to-wear garments that we are quick to buy and discard.