Building yourself an ethical and sustainable closet starts with understanding the difference between fast and slow fashion. We’re here to help!
Why should you care about Slow Fashion?
If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between fast and slow fashion, then you’re probably looking at what your options are when it comes to the power of your dollar.
What kind of industries do you want to support?
What kind of support do those industries provide their employees?
Or the world around them?
In a day and age where we find ourselves worrying about the social and environmental consequences of the choices we make, it has never been more important to arm ourselves with the most amount of information we can get.
Which means you should also know about two key pillars of conscious-consumer fashion:
Ethical and Sustainable slow fashion.
But we can’t have slow fashion if there is no such thing as fast fashion.
So first, let’s break a few things down.
What is Fast Fashion?
In fast fashion, garments are meant to reflect the latest high fashion trends that have been mass-produced to make it to the general public, as quickly as possible, after their runway debut.
However, as trends are changing faster than the leaves can fall, this never-ending mass production encourages consumers to throw away the old trends, in favour of the new, in a cycle of disposable clothing.
The concept of fast fashion, then, is the complete opposite of sustainable. It revolves around trends that are built to go viral, rather than last. Clothing that has been worn only a few times, then tossed away to be replaced, is what fast fashion is all about: LIMITED USE.
You get my drift?
Therefore, fast fashion is entirely reliant on YOU, the consumer, deciding that you need more to consume.
But what would happen if you were to decide you only need a few pieces of clothing and that’s it?
Welcome to slow, ethical and sustainable fashion my friend. ☺
What Is Slow Fashion?
Limited use of anything leads to throwaway culture, waste, and an inevitable strain on natural resources.
If fast fashion makes us believe we need to shop more and more to stay on top of trends, the slow fashion movement combats that wasteful premise by providing a sustainable alternative. It’s simple: buy less, and buy better.
Slow fashion encourages consumers to buy higher quality garments, made from sustainable processes, less often and in smaller quantities.
There is no need for mass production if we eradicate the pattern of mass consumption!
What Makes Slow Fashion Ethical and Sustainable?
Modern day slow fashion focuses not only on the spending habits of consumers, but on the production processes as well.
Ensuring a brand’s supply chain is ethical in their handling of human rights and labour practices, as well as conscientious of the environmental impacts their production warehouses make, is of topmost concern in slow fashion.
Slow fashion often also puts an emphasis on the manufacturer, celebrating the skills and craftsmanship of those who make the clothing.
Top 4 characteristics of a slow fashion brand:
- Made from high quality and sustainable materials
- Often in smaller (local) stores, rather than huge chain enterprises
- Locally sourced, produced, and sold garments
- Few, specific styles per collection, which are released 2, max. 3 times per year
Where Can I Buy Slow, Ethical and Sustainably Sourced Fashion?
We are an ethical alternative to fast fashion. We partner directly with our artisans from 6 continents around the world to connect you with cultural craft and handmade little luxuries.
We pride ourselves on our environmentally friendly and sustainable pieces, and also our equal efforts to put back into the earth what we’ve taken from it.
Planting Trees In The Pokoloko Forest
Every time you make a purchase from the company, we will plant 2 trees in the Pokoloko forest to offset the CO2 emissions accumulated in the process of sourcing material, creating pieces, and shipping them out!
A Fashion Revolution?
When it comes to being a conscious-consumer, any effort is better than no effort. But if you’re looking to really double-down on the effectiveness of your ethical spending power, knowing how and where to find sustainable materials for your slow fashion closet is your first step in being part of the fashion revolution.
It’s also the best research you’ll do on the Internet today! Just saying.
Leave a comment