By Aashna Shah
I’ve always loved fashion, not just wearing it, but the magic of creating it. As a kid, I spent hours sewing crooked hems and matching colors that definitely did not belong together. My backyard became my runway, with my family as the audience and my friends as the confused but loyal models. These shows were tiny and chaotic, but to me, they were everything. They taught me that clothes could be a form of storytelling long before I ever had the words for it.
As I got older, the spark grew sharper. I would dig through my mom’s traditional Indian outfits, waiting for the day she’d let me borrow them (for the record, that day still hasn’t come). I could sew the basics, shirts, pants, scrunchies, but looking at those intricately embroidered pieces, I always wondered: who could create something like this? How much skill, patience, and craft did it take?
When I tried finding out, all the search results led to wholesalers, never the actual artisans. I couldn’t imagine being in their shoes because it reminded me of little me: sitting on the floor surrounded by threads, scissors, and scraps, pouring hours into a piece no one might ever see. I grew up with support, encouragement, and people clapping for my uneven stitches. These artisans don’t always get that. That realization became the spark behind varnikavoices.com, a way to find ethical brands and connect people to the creators behind the clothing.
One of my favorite discoveries was a boutique that supported marginalized communities. Their pieces were breathtaking, sarees that looked like paintings, lehengas that deserved their own museums. My homemade shorts and lopsided tops didn’t stand a chance. Seeing them changed how I saw clothing. I turned away from fast fashion and toward small, ethical designers who were doing more than creating outfits: they were preserving traditions, uplifting women, and pushing for dignity within the industry. Supporting them felt like saying, “I see you. I see the hands behind the thread.”
The next time you put on an outfit, I hope you think about the story woven into it, the heritage, the artistry, and the creators who rarely get credit. Fashion isn’t just something I love; it’s something I respect. And I hope more people will learn to love it that way, too.
Aashna Shah is an Indian American sophomore at Syosset High School interested in business, fashion, and storytelling. She hopes to use fashion as a pathway to uplift underserved communities. She also serves as the Submission Coordinator for Kaleidoscope, where she helps curate and elevate youth voices through storytelling.
