Shefalee Vasudev is a writer, journalist and co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Voice of Fashion, India’s leading online magazine on fashion, design, and identity. Author of Powder Room: The Untold Story of Indian Fashion, she has held senior editorial roles at India Today, The Indian Express, and Mint Lounge, and was the first editor of Marie Claire India. A recognized public speaker and host of critical dialogues across platforms, her second book Stories We Wear: Status, Spectacle and The Politics of Appearance, will be published by Westland this year. As a trained narrative therapist, Shefalee bridges dialogues on mental health with artisan communities of India.
Topic
How Clothing Shapes Who We Are: Shefalee Vasudev on Identity & Expression | OCLF
On 23rd Nov 2025 2.00 PM TO 2:40 PM
Wearing Identity with Shefalee Vasudev in conversation with Shivani Lalwani explored how fashion becomes far more than aesthetics. It operates as language, memory, and emotional expression.
In this thought-provoking session from the 7th edition of the Orange City Literature Festival, Shefalee examined how clothing constructs and communicates identity long before words do. The discussion highlighted how appearance becomes a performance shaped by culture, class, gender, aspiration, and personal history.
From Kartavyapath as a public stage for the politics of visibility, to the deliberate clothing choices of political figures, the session revealed how fashion negotiates power and belonging. Shefalee also reflected on how bodies act as surfaces on which society writes meaning, and how individuals use clothing to navigate acceptance, autonomy, and emotional landscapes.
Audience questions added depth to topics such as authenticity, ethical fashion, and identity in the digital age.
This session is a reminder that what we wear is not just choice or habit. It is storytelling, memory, and personal truth.