What is Slow Fashion?

Similar to the “slow food” movement – avoiding fast food- There is a similar movement in fashion to get away from fast fashion to slow fashion. The fashion industry has developed into a high consumption, globalization rate in what seems overnight. There is a growing group of people who are realizing the damage being done and want to literally slow down – Slow Fashion.

We used to be a society who valued clothing as something to be kept for repetitive use, now people will literally throw away their clothes. 85% of textiles end up in landfills each year!  Through increasing technologies, fast fashion brands such as Zara or H&M can design, outsource, and produce an entire shipment in as little as three weeks. The traditional fashion-selling model consisted of preparing and marketing clothing lines that would come out for specific seasons. While it might be nice to see something new every couple weeks in such stores, their effect on our world far outweigh us swiping our card for an item we don’t really need.

Slow fashion challenges that by valuing quality, versatility and styles that are timeless. It’s not even necessarily about where your clothes are made, but how they were made. Slow fashion values mindful-consumption rather than a world full of over-consumption.

Consumers have become increasingly attached to the price sticker. A fast fashion dress only costs around $20, but a slow fashion cost $100. You can see why the fast fashion would win. But the point of slow fashion is to reuse something you know met the production cost as well as meeting the living wages of garment workers and respecting our environment. Where you spend your money is equivalent to where you vote. It’s important to consider your purchases and make your purchase count.

This transition into slow fashion is not something that can be done overnight, but companies can make strides to be responsible with our environment and people. At the end of the day, business need to make money, but you can create fashion lines that are profitable while controlling your carbon footprint and valuing human rights.

Photo credit found here