What is Slow Fashion & Why We Love It

I am always searching for ways to reconcile my love of the art that fashion can be and the empowerment it can provide AND the impact that the modern fashion industry has on the humans and the environment. Slow fashion movement has been around for a while, but has really emerged in recent years as a powerful alternative to challenge the fashion industry’s current status quo that I am 100% getting behind.

So what exactly is slow fashion?

You may have already guessed it — the idea behind slow fashion is a direct response to fast fashion; according to The Good Trade, it’s “an argument for hitting the brakes on excessive production, overcomplicated supply chains, and mindless consumption. ”There’s no one way to be a slow fashion brand or a slow fashion consumer; you can tailor it to your needs, your budget and lifestyle. Here is a little cheat sheet that will make it plain and simple what slow fashion is all about (and why make a switch).

Slow fashion considers what the garments are made out

Slow fashion brands produce garments with quality and durability as opposed to trends in mind. A special emphasis is placed on materials — the quality of fabric, hardware, etc. is of great importance with lots of brands using sustainable materials where possible. Slow fashion products are designed not to date; slow fashion garments driven by a timeless aesthetic rather than trends. Combined this means that garments have a longer life span, are less likely to end up in landfill, have a chance of being worn for decades, resold or recycled.

Slow fashion rethinks how garments are made

A step away from crazy fast fashion cycle and incomprehensible chains of production, slow fashion labels strip their processes down to include old-school transparency. Garments are often produced in small batches or sustainably made to order; the production chains value ethics and sustainable practices which means no sweatshops, no cheap production factories that have toxins leaking into nature, no modern day slavery. The result is usually higher quality garments made by skilled professionals in traceable supply chains.

Slow fashion educates about fashion consumption

Moving away from mindless over consumption — buying not based on impulse or trends — is not something that many people in the modern western society are used to. For decades retail shopping has been marketed no different to getting a coffee at your local cafe. The reality is that in order to survive as species, we need to change our consumer habits. Although there‘s a lot of marketing dollars behind the fast fashion industry, as humans, we believe in the power of ideas to transform the way that we live and slow fashion movement is teaching us about just how easy it is to do better.

The bottom line

All and all, you get what you pay for — yes, it costs more to create original designs, buy quality materials, hire skilled workers and educate the consumer on the value of paying for a slow fashion garment, but we only have one planet to live on, right?

Slow fashion can take a variety of forms — there are lots of creative approaches to breaking the fast fashion cycle which is my favourite part. You can read about how some pretty exciting brands are breaking the fast fashion cycle here and check out my own baby slow fashion label To Her here.

Lots of love,

Lena