By: Maya W.
What is Slow Fashion?
Slow fashion is a response to fast fashion that attempts to bring fashion back to its sustainable roots. The goal in mind is to think more consciously about our clothing and our values to change our buying habits. Practicing slow fashion consists of multiple approaches to owning and purchasing fashion such as: purchasing fair trade or locally made products, buying secondhand or vintage garments, choosing ethically made clothing or sustainable fabrics, choosing garments that will last longer and of higher quality, DIY fashion, buying few clothes less often, mending, swapping, and caring for your clothing in a way that is environmentally conscious.
The different approaches to practicing slow fashion:
Fair Trade – Encapsulates many slow fashion values, such as environmentally conscious production and materials as well as worker’s rights. Many garments are Fair Trade Certified! This means you can rest assured your clothing is being made ethically; just look for Fair Trade International, Fair Trade Federation, or Fair Trade USA labels (B Corp certification is also a good one to look out for; though it doesn’t have fair trade in the name, it is aligned with the values). Not all fair trade goods are certified, so it’s important to do research on the companies you’re buying from to make sure they are not fairwashing (making a garment or clothing line seem more in line with fair trade values than it actually is).
Some fair trade brands: Patagonia, Madewell and Mata Traders.
Locally Made – Besides helping the local economy, you can also be sure there aren’t any human rights violations (poor working conditions, not being paid a living wage, and forced labour are just a few examples of this) going on in Chicago, though it’s always good to check if the products your buying are being made with prison. Buying locally can also help eliminate emissions that transit makes in the delivery process.
Secondhand/Vintage – This is the most ethical way to shop! There’s zero risk of unethical production and it’s extremely eco-friendly to not buy new items.
Secondhand: Village Discount, Depop, Poshmark, and your local thrift stores.
Ethically Made – Buy clothes made by people who are being paid a living wage and have good working conditions (such as having adequate health and safety measures in their workplace).
Ethically Made Brands: ABLE, Girlfriend Collective, and American Apparel
Sustainable Fabrics – Using organic and recycled fabrics as well as sustainable dyeing practices minimizing pollution.
Companies Using Sustainable Fabrics: Organic Basics, PACT, Indigo Luna, Girlfriend Collective.
DIY Fashion – Make your own clothing by reusing garments that you no longer use or garments that are slightly damaged. There are lots of online sources, such as YouTube, where you can learn how to upcycle or ‘flip’ your garments!
Mending – Fix holes, sizing errors, any stains in your clothing in order to make them last longer. Or see if someone else can do it for you!
Swapping – When you’re done with a garment, swap it with someone you know or someone online so you don’t have to contribute to clothing waste.
High Quality Garments – If you have the means, buy more high quality garments in order to make your clothing last longer.
Wear Your Clothes – Wear your clothes for longer (it’s recommended that you wear it at least 30 times) and don’t get rid of clothes after a few wears. Wear your clothes until they’re unusable or find a sustainable way to get rid of or repurpose them. Wearing your clothes for longer is better economically, and also helps to slow down your consumption of clothes.
Care for Your Clothes – Wash with cold water to be more eco-friendly, air dry your clothing, use a garment bag to stop microplastics from synthetic fabrics from leaking into our water systems and lake. Be more conscious of your washing and drying habits and look on the garment tags of your clothing to see how they are supposed to be washed/dried.
Buy Less – Think before buying–having more clothes is nice, but can you add anything onto the clothes that you already own? A lot of the time, we aren’t actually shopping for things that we need. Although it is nice to have a lot of clothes, it is also important to ask yourself, do I really need or even want this? Can I make new outfit combos from what I already have? Could I experiment with changing my clothes with painting, embroidery, patches, sewing, etc.
There’s a lot of intersectionality with these approaches to slow fashion and the movement as a whole. Many brands in this list also take on different approaches at the same time and cannot be put strictly into a box of only sustainable fabrics, or only ethical production. However, I want to emphasize that making an effort to participate in any one of these will have a great impact. Starting off small, like air drying your clothes, has a positive impact on our environment. Consumer activism is important, but it’s not necessarily the most important or accessible type of activism; ultimately consumers are not solely responsible for the harms of fast fashion and unchecked capitalism. Additionally, not everyone can afford to make the effort to be sustainable all the time. It’s about doing your best and shopping with your values in mind, not being the most perfect sustainable eco-friendly shopper.
Discussion Questions:
In what ways do you already practice slow fashion and how can you expand on it?
What are your views on the importance of consumer activism?