What is “Slow Fashion” and why is it so important?
“Slow fashion is about designing, producing, consuming and living better. Slow fashion is not time-based but quality-based (which has some time components). Slow is not the opposite of fast – there is no dualism – but a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems.”*
I chose to use this quote for my introduction because it is so in tune with my beliefs and I couldn’t have put it better. Fashion takes time - there’s actually (time wise) no such thing as Fast Fashion, the production of fashion is not fast. The resources used to make the fabric, still take as long to grow as they do for fabrics used in slow fashion, the people sewing them still take as long to sew them as they do in slow fashion - the process is very similar, but the difference is the quality, the environmental impact and the treatment of the people who created those items.
It makes my heart hurt when I see items for sale in Shops for $5, even $50 sometimes (depending on the item!), because if you do the maths, it doesn’t add up. How does an item get produced for so little? The materials cost more than $5, the hours the person spent sewing it cost more than $5, the marketing costs more than $5 - so that means that none of the people or the environment involved in the process are getting paid or looked after fairly, and that is not okay.
The issue too is, that these garments don’t stand the test of time - because of the “speed” they’re made at and the fabric they are made from, the quality is poor. This means they don’t last long, or since they’ve only cost $5, it gives people the excuse to wear them once and throw them out. Have you ever thought about where your clothes go when you throw them out?
Let me tell you.
Of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfill every year - this means that the equivalent of 1 rubbish truck full of clothes ends up in a landfill site every second. If the trend continues, this is expected to increase to 134 million tonnes a year by the end of the decade.
Take a moment to think about that.
It hurts hey? Our poor planet is being destroyed at the cost of people’s longing for new clothes and the latest trend.
So what can we do about this?
Most importantly, buy less! Less clothing bought, means less in the landfill.
Choose to buy from sustainably focused and Slow Fashion brands - ones who environmental impact is lower, that are using sustainable fabrics and treating their workers fairly
Buy better quality clothing. This also helps you buy less, better quality clothing lasts longer!
Shop at thrift and second hand shops! One persons trash could be another person’s treasure (most of the fabric used for Butterflies in Ballgowns is bought from the thrift shop - yes, it is made from duvet covers, table cloths, sheets, and doesn’t it look fabulous!?)
Think twice before throwing out your clothes - can they be repaired? Can you donate them to a charity or thrift shop? Would your friend like them? Could you take them to a fabric recycling bin rather than just dumping them?
All these steps are so simple, and yet would make a huge difference in helping both the planet and the employees of the “Fast Fashion” brands.
What else do you think we could do to make the Fashion industry more sustainable? Let us know by writing it in the comments below!
Want to read up some more? Here’s some interesting links that share more info about the Slow and Fast Fashion industries.
https://theecologist.org/2007/jun/01/slow-fashion
https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/reducing-our-impact
A photograph of Jodie Burridge weaving using a loom - an example of a method of producing fabric.