The Enshittification of eShakti

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The dress was an absolute stunner. Its floor-length skirt featured copious folds of cotton poplin patterned with white, navy, and kelly green chevrons. The sleeveless bodice hit me right at the waist, and a notch in the neckline gave just the right amount of flirt. And, of course, like all perfect dresses, it had pockets. 

The pockets were the headline. Everywhere I wore it—and I wore it a lot in the 2010s—I became a walking “Thanks, it has pockets!” meme. But the subhed was important, too. The dress was from eShakti, an India-based clothing manufacturer once beloved by shoppers—especially plus-size women like myself—who appreciated the company’s signature offering: made-to-measure garments at a reasonable price. Sure, I often had to wait a few weeks to receive my orders, but it sure beat getting drenched in sweat and despair in a mall-store fitting room, assuming mall stores even carried my size in the trendy, fashion-forward clothes I preferred. 

For a decade or so between 2012 and 2022, I was as much an eShakti evangelist as I was a “pockets” meme, and I felt even better about it thanks to the company advertising its commitment to “the health, well-being, and ethical treatment of all our employees worldwide.” eShakti was a unicorn in the fast-fashion forest. Their offerings were both on-trend and classic, and great for workwear, vacations, and even bridal styles. Before my wedding, I bought a cream-colored 50s-style cocktail dress to serve as my backup gown, because I am both curvy and mercurial: I wanted options for my look on that day, the big day. And eShakti literally delivered.

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