The Slow Fashion movement is gaining momentum. But what exactly is it?
Essentially, slow fashion is a more sustainable approach to choosing clothing; it’s not a brand or a style, but a mindset that opts for better quality, less waste, a smaller carbon footprint, better working conditions for garment laborers, and an overall improved way of fabricating the things we wear.
Why do we need slow fashion?
Just like fast food, fast fashion is ruining our quality of life and the environment. And just like the slow food movement, the slow fashion movement’s goal is to reverse the negative effects we’ve seen from fast fashion, which are described by Not Just a Label:
[Fast fashion] relies on globalised, mass production where garments are transformed from the design stage to the retail floor in only a few weeks. With retailers selling the latest fashion trends at very low prices, consumers are easily swayed to purchase more than they need. But this overconsumption comes with a hidden price tag, and it is the environment and workers in the supply chain that pay. […] this industry is constantly contributing to the depletion of fossil fuels, used, for example, in textile & garment production and transportation. Fresh water reservoirs are also being increasingly diminished for cotton crop irrigation. The fashion industry is also introducing, in a systematic way and in ever-greater amounts, manmade compounds such as pesticides and synthetic fibres, which increase their persistent presence in nature.
In short, fast fashion hurts people, damages the environment, and cannot be sustained. Textiles are entering landfills at an alarming rate. It’s estimated that 13.1 million tons of textiles are thrown away each year, and that only 15% of this is recovered for reuse or recycling.
Slow fashion challenges us to think about where our clothes come from and where they’re heading. It urges us to use better (natural) materials, take care of what we already have, and reuse whatever we can.
I believe there are three essential elements of slow fashion: care, quality, and cultivation. Slow fashion is sometimes seen as expensive and something only for the privileged, but it doesn’t have to be this way; with a little bit of knowledge, everyone can nurture a healthier wardrobe, no matter their budget.
Cultivation (or Curation)
First, let’s talk about the cultivation, or curation, aspect. This refers to the way in which you approach building your wardrobe. How are you obtaining your clothes–are you buying new, hitting up the thrift shops, swapping with friends, or creating your own?
Thrifting or swapping is often seen as the most responsible, sustainable, eco-friendly way to get “new” clothes. These clothes have already been purchased (or made), but are no longer wanted by their original wearers. Passing them onto someone else keeps them from the landfill and prevents further emissions that would result from the production of new clothes. Whether you’re thrifting, buying new, or planning to craft your own clothing, you’ll want to think about quality.
Quality
Quality refers to the materials used, the way the garment is constructed, and even the design or style. Is it something trendy that you’ll tire of quickly, or a classic you can wear for years to come? Are natural materials like cotton, wool, linen, or hemp being used? Or are they derived from petroleum? Plastic microfibers, like those from polyester, can cause big trouble.
Another important aspect of quality to think about doesn’t even refer to the clothes themselves, but to the life and working conditions of the people who made them. Are they paid fairly? Are their working conditions safe? Unfortunately, if we’re talking about fast fashion, the answer is likely a no, and transparency in the fashion industry is so infamously non-existent that it’s difficult to know exactly what is going on. Organizations like Fashion Revolution are investigating so that we can be better informed about the choices we make and brands we support, but there is still a long way to go.
Care
Finally, how do you care for the garments you own? This includes wearing, washing, storing, mending. Are you washing your clothes in the recommended way? Are you keeping the moths from getting to your wool sweaters? When a button pops off or a seam begins to fray, what do you do? A little sewing know-how can go a long way!
Applying Slow Fashion Principles
It’s easy for many of us to feel that we have a full closet but nothing to wear. Think about what pieces you love and wear often, though. Are there certain characteristics common to those garments? Now look at the pieces you bought and wore once, or maybe haven’t worn at all. What is it that you don’t like about those pieces you aren’t wearing? Could you change them to make them more wearable? Think about what gaps need to be filled in, and what articles you might pass on to others.
Everyone can create a more sustainable wardrobe without spending a fortune; in fact, going slow can save you money. These are some key practices to keep in mind:
• Be thrifty! Perhaps the greenest way to build a wardrobe is to acquire items that aren’t new, e.g. those found via thrift shops. Scouring second-hand shops is not only easy on the wallet, but it can be a fun challenge (and especially rewarding when you stumble upon that perfect find.)
You can also host or attend a clothing swap with your friends or with your community. Clothing swaps are great because they are a (usually) free way to acquire new-to-you clothing, and you can re-home the things you no longer wear.
• Choose wisely, and stick with the classics. Classic items won’t look dated in a couple seasons, but trendy items probably will. Ask yourself…will I be tired of wearing this in a year? If the answer is yes, just say no! Also, look for pieces that are versatile and will mix well with several other items in your wardrobe. If you find yourself in a situation where you really just can’t buy ethical, or find the otherwise perfect item that happens to be less than eco-friendly, yet absolutely love it, it’s still not a total loss if you can see yourself wearing it for the next five or ten years! (This is an interesting read on building a capsule wardrobe: The Sustainable Wardrobe Part 1.)
• Learn to sew (or knit, crochet, weave…) No, you don’t have to be able to make your own tailored suits (though that’s an admirable goal!) But do learn to make minor repairs: sewing on buttons, repairing holes, hemming pants and skirts. This will save your money and your clothing. Learning to create garments will also give you a greater appreciation for the process, and help you know what to look for when choosing clothes off the rack. While you can find lots of books, videos, and online sources that will teach you these skills, having a real life, in-person teacher will give you an advantage because you can ask questions, and they can see how you progress. Check out local recreation centers for classes, or ask around at fabric or sewing machine stores; these places can usually point you in the right direction.
• Choose quality fabrics. As a general rule, pick natural fibers over synthetics. Great natural fabrics include cotton (organic if possible), wool, silk, linen, and hemp. Rayon and acetate are “semi-synthetic” fibers; they’re actually derived from wood pulp, but require a chemical process to synthesize the strands. I’ve recently started a Slow Fashion Resources directory, which you can view here; in addition to educational resources, there is a small list of shops where you can find sustainable fabrics. Synthetic fabrics to avoid are polyester and acrylic. When these materials, which are basically plastic, are washed, microfibers make their way into our water supply.
• Ask, Who Made My Clothes? —This one is tricky. There is very little transparency in the fashion industry and much has been written about the long journey that a garment makes before it reaches you, passing through so many factories and so many hands. Fashion Revolution is a non-profit dedicated to promoting transparency in fashion industry, and thereby overcoming the appalling conditions that most garment workers currently endure. You can learn about Fashion Revolution and how to get involved here.
