What Is Slow Fashion?

October 13th 2022 · 765 words, 4 minute read

You’ve probably heard of fast fashion; these are clothing items that are made quickly and cheaply to meet a specific fashion trend at the moment. These items tend to be very poor quality and are made from plastic-based fibres. Fast fashion items are very damaging to the planet as many of them end up in landfill sites where they can take thousands of years to biodegrade. During this biodegrading process, they leak chemicals into the atmosphere. Even the process of creating large volumes of fast fashion items is bad for the environment. They often travel long distances and use harmful chemicals and plastics that go on to pollute the oceans, causing harm to wildlife. Fast fashion is very bad for the environment in many ways; people need to reduce the amount of cheap plastic-based clothing they purchase and give the planet a chance to restore.

This is where slow fashion comes into play; it’s an alternative way of looking at clothing and how people buy fashion items. Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion; it's all about awareness and consideration of the impact creating fashion garments has on the planet. People who follow a slow fashion movement will buy fewer high-quality items of clothing. These clothes will last much longer and therefore have less of an impact on the environment. When following a slow fashion approach to your wardrobe, you may also want to consider items created locally to reduce the carbon footprint of your clothing’s journey. In addition, many people who follow a slow fashion approach will look out for more ethical and sustainable clothing brands that don’t produce large amounts of waste and take steps to reduce their environmental impact.

Getting started with slow fashion

If you want to move away from fast fashion and start a more conscious lifestyle of buying high-quality clothing items, there are several things you can do to get started. Don’t immediately throw away or donate all of your current clothing; that’s not what this approach is all about. It’s more about considering and taking the time to think again before purchasing another top or jumper. Look at your current wardrobe and work out if you really need that new item you’re looking at buying or if the clothing you have works well for the occasion or can be adapted to suit. If you need a particular item of clothing to fill a gap in your wardrobe, that’s completely fine. Consider the quality and sustainability principles of the business you want to purchase from before you head to the sales or buy the first thing you see. Slow fashion clothing should be high quality and last for many years, so you will need to adjust your budget if you’re used to buying fast fashion items. Think about the item of clothing as an investment that will last many years and comparably how little the cost per wear will be. You should also ensure you really love the slow fashion items you choose to buy, and they match with your other clothing to create several different outfits. 

As your fast fashion items begin to wear out and need replacing, choose slow fashion pieces instead. You may need to save up and do this over several years as high-quality, slow fashion is expensive. However, your new wardrobe will not only look great but will be much better quality and full of timeless investment pieces you love to wear. A high-quality item will fit and look better on your body, improving your confidence levels.

Buying second-hand

If you can’t wait or don’t have the money to buy new slow fashion clothing items, you could consider buying pieces second-hand. The same principles apply; only choose high-quality items that you need to buy to fill a gap in your wardrobe. Learning basic sewing skills and upcycling dated quality clothing can help you to create one-of-a-kind pieces that fit and suit your personality perfectly. Many slow fashion lovers opt to repair and upcycle vintage pieces for their wardrobes. With this approach, you can save a lot of money, and arguably it's even more sustainable as you’re giving a piece of clothing that’s no longer needed a new lease of life.

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