Slow fashion: what is it all about and how to slow our fashion down?
Buying clothes and investing in styles are getting more and more popular nowadays. We love to create our identities, explore fashion, mix and match. That’s obviously fantastic! However, as the fashion industry grows constantly and rapidly, it is becoming necessary to consider the choices we make. Luckily, there are simple ways to do that.
With overconsumption being more prevalent in Fashion than in nearly any other industry, there is a counter-movement taking pace, oriented towards promoting sustainability in fashion by buying eco-friendly and ethically sourced materials or upcycling clothes when you no longer wear them in their original form.
Yet another way that I am going to focus on in this post is the concept called slow fashion. This increasingly popular concept is all about owning stuff that lasts for a longer time. It is about quality over quantity. It is about longevity over temporary trends and putting durability above cheap materials.
And we get it, you don’t wish to wear the same clothes year after year since new trends constantly appear and doing so would become boring. But some things just never go out of style, like a quality black t-shirt that you have in your wardrobe or a black basic dress. Having items like these in your wardrobe can form the bedrock of outfits, and I will bet you that you will never get bored of them!
Fast versus slow
While I was considering how to introduce the concept of slow fashion to you, I realized it was necessary first to explain fast fashion. Fast fashion is kind of a norm in today’s world, as people have become so used to wearing recent trends as soon as they hit the stores. Fast fashion moves on at an unbelievable pace nowadays with plenty of seasons, often arriving at the stores in weekly intervals. Unfortunately, this means that the quality of the clothing, the material, and the accessories is also lower due to constant production and consumption at the cheapest possible cost. Slow fashion, however, is a counter-movement by being the total opposite of fast fashion. Slow fashion emphasizes quality over quantity and conscious consumerism. You don’t have to wear this one dress your whole life but consider what you buy, how much you buy and what quality the items have. Slow fashion considers the environment, animals, and the use of eco-friendly, high-quality materials, which makes it more ethical than fast fashion. It also considers the connections between raw materials, the environment, and human labour.
How can you slow your fashion down?
Considering the fast versus slow aspect, I believe you are curious how you can slow your fashion down. This is definitely a worthwhile challenge to keep your wardrobe only filled out with long-lasting pieces that stay in fashion for a longer period of time. The fact is if you buy something and try to wear it for 9 months longer, you reduce your environmental footprint by 30%. This is a great way to slow your fashion down. Also, a fun way to extend the lifespan of your clothes and engage in the concept of slow fashion is to try to sell your clothes. There are many online marketplaces and apps where you can sell your preloved clothes and buy quality secondhand items. The next option is to exchange clothes with friends. Or lastly, redesigning your old clothes can also let your creativity flow so you can repurpose the old clothes into new pieces and wear them longer.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
