Slow Fashion: How to Join the Slow Fashion Movement

Activist Kate Fletcher coined the term “slow fashion” in 2007 as a play on the slow food movement, which highlighted the importance of responsibility, awareness, but also pleasure related to food consumption. Similarly, Fletcher sought to promote sustainable fashion practices while also showing how slow fashion benefits the consumer with higher-quality clothing.

The slow fashion movement seeks to “slow down” the fashion industry by addressing waste and promoting conscious consumption. In addition to buying fewer garments, proponents of slow fashion look for eco-friendly materials, like cotton and linen, and timeless silhouettes that withstand trend cycles. Slow fashion also favors purchasing secondhand clothing and upcycling unwanted garments into new pieces.

Slow fashion as a business model is a direct response to fast fashion, a method of mass-producing trendy clothing with low-quality materials to meet consumer demands. Fast fashion does not encourage continuous long-term wear and does not come from biodegradable materials. These two factors make it so that fast fashion typically winds up in landfills. To meet the accelerated production demands of the fast fashion industry, garment workers often work overtime for extremely low wages, frequently in unsafe working environments.

Slow fashion interrupts the fast fashion supply chain by promoting conscious consumption. It encourages consumers to buy less but also to be mindful of the environmental and labor practices behind each garment. As a result, slow fashion proponents avoid fast fashion brands in favor of locally sourced, ethical clothing from conscious brands. This can counteract the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry by reducing demand from unsustainable businesses.

Slow fashion and sustainable fashion share similarities, but they also have some differences.

• Carbon emissions: Environmental impact is a central concern to both slow and sustainable fashion brands. Generally, this means that garments are cruelty-free, made from sustainable or recycled materials, and do not involve environmentally harmful manufacturing processes.
• Labor practices: Slow fashion and sustainable fashion determine sustainability not just based on environmental impacts but also the working conditions involved in the manufacturing process. Conscious brands must pay all employees a fair wage, or the garment will not qualify as ethical fashion.
• Sustainable textiles: Deadstock fabrics, recycled materials, raw materials, and other sustainable fabrics are all hallmarks of both slow fashion and sustainable fashion. Some fashion companies have adopted a zero-waste model, meaning the brands do not waste any material when crafting a garment.
• Trends: While slow fashion and sustainable fashion both caution against overconsumption related to finicky trend cycles, slow fashion counteracts the desire to buy trendy pieces by designing tried and true silhouettes that will always remain in style.

Here are a few ways to determine if a brand is part of the slow fashion movement:

• A small-scale production: Slow fashion produces sustainable clothing in small batches to reduce waste or may even operate on a made-to-order basis so that they do not produce extra garments. Additionally, slow fashion brands tend to avoid large retailers in favor of local shops–short distances between the manufacturer and retailer help keep the process carbon neutral.
• Focus on quality over quantity: Proponents of slow fashion focus on quality over quantity. A brand will likely have fewer pieces available and produce pieces meant to last from high-quality, sustainable materials.
• Use of earth-friendly fabrics: Brands will favor textiles meant to last, so you will likely see garments made of linen, organic cotton, and wool. They may also choose compostable or biodegradable fabrics, such as hemp or bamboo.

Slow fashion is not accessible to everyone. Some slow fashion brands are too pricey or not size-inclusive, which can leave out groups of people. If you want to join the slow fashion movement, here are a few steps you can take:

1. 1. Create a capsule wardrobe. Since slow fashion involves less shopping, purchase pieces that complement each other so you can wear them interchangeably. Pare down your closet to select versatile pieces you enjoy to create a capsule wardrobe.
2. 2. Choose natural fabrics. Natural fabrics hold up longer and are more sustainable. Synthetic textiles, on the other hand, usually come from petroleum and are more damaging to the environment if they end up in a landfill.
3. 3. Focus on investment pieces. A key point of the slow fashion movement is to adjust your shopping habits to prioritize quality over quantity. Instead of purchasing cheap, trendy garments each season, invest in pieces that reflect your style so you can wear them for years to come. This slows the demand for fast fashion and reduces textile waste.
4. 4. Look for OEKO-TEX certification. This assures the consumer that the product has tested negative for chemicals that harm humans or the environment.
5. 5. Prioritize GOTS certification. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) sets forth certain environmental and labor requirements that textiles must meet to qualify as organic. If a garment has a GOTS certification, it is a fair-trade item with minimal environmental impact.
6. 6. Take care of your clothes. Reducing waste means sticking with the garments you have when possible. Increase the lifecycle of your old clothes by washing them as little as possible, mending them when necessary, and using sustainable dyes to cover stains or discoloration.
7. 7. Thrift. Instead of buying new clothes, you can opt to shop at thrift shops. You can give a new home to previously loved clothes and help keep items out of landfills.

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