Welcome to my Slow Fashion Resource Directory!
Slow fashion is an approach to fashion that encourages us to make a connection with our clothing, which helps us to make better choices: instead of purchasing new clothes all the time, slow fashion encourages us to care for what we have, thrift or swap, create our own clothes, or purchase clothing from artisans and companies with more ethical and sustainable practices.
This is a growing directory of slow fashion resources, including fabric sources, how-tos, blogs, ready-made clothing, and more.
Books
Harvesting Color: How to Find Plants and Make Natural Dyes by Rebecca Burgess
This is an excellent book about natural dyeing. You can read my full review here, or check it out on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZPOOJ8
Knit Local: Celebrating America’s Homegrown Yarns by Tanis Gray
This pattern book is full of interesting designs you can knit, each accompanied by an American-made yarn. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LnNMiq
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline
A favorite of mine, Overdressed delves into the world of fast fashion, explains the danger of cheap clothes, and helps us understand what we can do to change fashion. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZS9WyJ
Slow Clothing: Finding meaning in what we wear by Jane Milburn
This lovely book explores the world of sustainable clothing, making, and really does a wonderful job of conveying how we can be more connected to the things we wear. Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZKD4HN
Threadbare by Anne Elizabeth Moore
This graphic novel takes a look at the very gritty side of the clothing industry. Available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2ZFLp3I
Also notable are books by Wendell Berry; Berry doesn’t write about fashion, per se, but does write very eloquently about agriculture, people, and the connection between everything. His philosophy can be applied to all aspects of production and life–including clothing. Two of my top suggestions are What Are People For? (available here: https://amzn.to/2HdKgG3) and The Unsettling of America (available here: https://amzn.to/31KW7mK).
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases of the books mentioned above.)
Sewing, Knitting, and Mending
Visible Mending features a gallery of visible mending techniques. visiblemending.com
Moth & Rust Channel: my Youtube channel is slowly growing! If you have something you’d like to see, let me know.
http://bit.ly/2V5D8Qz
Reclaimed & Rescued Fabric
FABSCRAP is located in Brookyn, NY and recovers fabrics from high-end designers in New York City, sold as a sustainable alternative to destruction and discard in landfill. Their stock is unique and changes frequently because of the nature of their items. fabscrap.org/online-store
Natural Fiber, Yarn, and Fabric
HoneyBeGood carries popular organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly fabrics for quilting, apparel, and more. honeybegood.com
The Shepherd’s Mill in Phillipsburg, KS, is a personal favorite as it’s somewhat local to me; they process fleeces into spinning fiber and finished yarn. kansasfiber.com/shop
Organic Cotton Plus offers organic cotton, wool, hemp, linen, and other fabrics, as well as lace, notions, and yarn. Some of it is made in the USA, some is imported. organiccottonplus.com
Vreseis Limited is a high-end brand of organic, color-grown cotton by Sally Fox; this company offers carded cotton fiber, yarn, cloth, and more. vreseis.com/shop
Blogs & Educational Resources
Eco- is a website aimed at making sustainable consumption easier. More specifically, it features an article discussing different types of fibers and their implications for the environment, which you can view here: Clothing Fabrics: How Sustainable is Your Wardrobe?
Fashion Revolution is a social enterprise wanting to “unite people and organisations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed, so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way.” Visit their site to learn about the importance of transparency in the fashion industry.
fashionrevolution.org
Fibershed is a California-based organization helping to develop regional fiber systems that build soil & protect the health of our biosphere.
fibershed.com
Fringe Association is a knitting blog, but with lots of other great clothing inspiration and resources as well.
fringeassociation.com
My Green Closet is a series (posted every Thursday) of high-quality video blogs focusing on ethical/eco-friendly fashion. Definitely worth a watch!
youtube.com/mygreencloset
Regeneration International hosts a Care What You Wear campaign, and their site includes educational resources, statistics, and a directory of responsible brands.
regenerationinternational.org/care-what-you-wear/
Textile Beat is a social enterprise inspiring a creative approach to the way we dress, through a slow clothing philosophy.
textilebeat.com
Online Tools & Apps
National Mill Inventory is a project by Fibershed, and strives to collect information on existing mills in the United States.
nationalmillinventory.com
Sustainable Clothing & Accessories
CGC Leather Handbags
Climate-benefiting leather handbags are crafted from certified Animal Welfare Approved flocks raised in the Midwest. CGC’s full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather comes directly from lambs that are shepherded ethically on pasture, then manufactured in small batches in the US. Thanks to a closed-loop production process, your CGC leather handbag is traceable all the way back to the farm, connecting you to the soil. cgchandbags.com
Moth and Rust
(My own brand and a great way to support this blog!) Handmade in Kansas; unique and custom-made clothing, accessories, and more. mothandrusthandmade.etsy.com