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You may have heard quotes like ‘Ethical is the new black’, ‘Ask why before you buy’ or British designer Vivienne Westwood’s infamous ‘Choose well. Make it last.” All of these quotes reflect the idea that we should be conscious of our shopping behaviors. They also touch on the philosophy behind the slow fashion movement. Even if you’re new to this term you may have guessed that it’s the opposite of fast fashion (which is about impulse buys and bulk). Instead, slow fashion has more to do with sustainable and ethical movements and focuses on slowing down our fashion purchases to minimize our impact on the environment.
Slow fashion is about going inward… it’s more deliberate, conscious, and aware. It always thinks about the earth and self and others.
Bhwana Datta, Fashion Editor Re-Vastra
These days there are a plethora of sustainable fashion brands (and some very well-made affordable ones too). Yet, no matter how carbon-neutral, organic, or recycled a brand is, these clothes are still making an impact. Resources are still being used. Products are still being shipped. Even though it’s on a much smaller scale than fast fashion, sustainable brands still play a role in our impact on the environment. And, that’s where the slow fashion movement offers a solution. Sustainable brands offer their environmental solutions, while slow fashion puts the solution in the customers’ hands- by encouraging them to buy less.
So, just how does buying less help us to make a better impact on this earth?
You’ll Waste Less
There’s a statistic out there that the average American buys 64 new items and throws away 80 lbs of clothing yearly. A part of that wasteful consumption can be blamed on the fast fashion model which encourages mindless consumption. Those pieces of clothing are made cheaply to be thrown out quickly.
Guide: Where To Recycle Your Clothes From The Comfort Of Home
One major goal of the slow fashion movement is to waste less. As consumers, we can do this by making conscious choices to buy only items that we need and will wear multiple times. Some go by buying standards like an item of clothing has to create 20 different looks in their closet or has to be made well enough to last for 5 years before they’ll add it to their cart. Being more aware of what you buy can help to avoid waste in the long run.
There Will Be Less Plastic Pollution
If you were to guess which pieces in your closet were made from plastic, you might be surprised. From the shiny puffer coats to your intimates even your sweaters and slinky dresses can potentially be made from man-made fabrics like polyester and nylon. Unfortunately, those synthetic materials are made from fossil fuels and can take anywhere from 20 to 200 years to decompose depending on the types of chemicals, dyes, and fabric finishes used during production.
Worse still, those millions of tons of plastic clothing sitting in landfills for two generations aren’t dormant. As they slowly break down, the chemicals in those items of clothing leech into local soil and water resources. This happened in a landfill in Massachusetts that had contaminated the drinking well of nearby homes for more than a decade in the late 90s and early 2000s.
You’ll Support Ethical Labor
It took an infrastructure disaster that took the lives of more than 1,000 garment workers in Bangladesh for the global community to become aware of the human rights and safety violations happening daily within the fashion industry. Everyone from the Human Rights Watch to Pope Francis spoke out against what he condemned as slave labor. And fast fashion brands were reprimanded for their negligence in these matters.
Still, despite these allegations and lives being lost some fast fashion brands still make headlines for labor exploitation while maintaining their status as billion-dollar empires. There were unfortunate events all across the world that highlighted all of the negative bits of fast fashion.
From an ethical standpoint, it pays to slow down and research how a brand treats its workers. The major foundations of sustainable brands are safe working conditions and living wages. Some brands will showcase the factories and people who make their clothes or have fair trade certifications from 3rd parties to vet their factories and supply chains. So, while clothing might be more expensive than a $6 top, you’ll know that the people who made it earned more than a few cents for their time and labor.
There’s Power In Numbers
It’s called the slow fashion movement because it’s a growing community of people from all around the world. We favor ethics and sustainability over speed, excess, and convenience. As more consumers become more vocal about the morals we wish to see from brands that we spend our money on, the more those brands will feel pressured to listen.
Some already have begun listening by publishing greenwashing campaigns. These are not good and are nothing more than deceptive ploys to make customers think that they’re ethical and sustainable. And, social media is a great platform to hold them accountable for their lack of transparency.
On a positive note, some brands have listened and taken quantifiable actions to become more ethical and sustainable. A lot of times these brands will publish sustainability or impact reports that allow customers to easily see how they are working to reduce their carbon emissions, water pollution, and chemical use and ensure that human rights are upheld in their factories. And, these are the changes that we want to see happening within the fashion industry.
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One slow fashion movement that you can support today is through SlowFashion.Global. This will be a global movement of 20,000 conscious consumers who will pledge not to buy any new clothing from June 1st until September 1st. Instead, the campaign will highlight how shopping your closet, thrifting swapping and renting can be sustainable fashion solutions for your wardrobe.
If you’re seeking a chance to learn more about the slow fashion movement, check out the educational resources and join the pledge here.