Slow Fashion: how to shop sustainably
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. It is responsible for huge water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pollution and waste generation. All of these impacts have one cause - Fast Fashion, which we know as the supply of endless cheap clothing that is produced in the Third World at the lowest possible cost and imported into the Western world for often disposable consumption. The opposite to this trend is Slow Fashion. An increasingly popular movement that seeks to reduce the problems of the textile industry by promoting sustainable and ethical clothing companies.
What is slow fashion?
Slow fashion is an approach to dressing that is essentially the opposite of fast fashion. It's not about filling wardrobes as much as possible and shopping seasonally for discounts. It focuses on choosing high-quality clothing that will last its wearer countless seasons and can be combined for many occasions. Slow fashion advocates also care about the raw materials used to make the clothes and whether the seamstresses who made the clothes had good working conditions and were paid a fair wage for their work.
We have described the main problems of fast fashion in this article: Fast fashion vs. sustainable fashion.
Sustainable fashion
One of the key principles of slow fashion is the use of sustainable materials. These are produced in a way that minimises the impact on the environment. These include:
- Regenerated fibers: made from recycled materials such as waste wood or plastic bottles.
- Natural fibres: from crops grown locally, in Central Europe this includes flax, hemp and wool. In addition, they are degradable in nature and require less water to produce than synthetic fibres.
- Organic cotton: cotton grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilisers.
You can find out how we create fashion sustainably and locally in the LADA studio in the article about our work.
Ethical fashion
This is clothing that is created in ethical working conditions throughout the supply chain. This includes ensuring fair wages, safe working conditions and the protection of basic human rights. Most clothes are made in third world countries tens of thousands of miles from where they are sold to the end customer. As a result, managers of fashion companies are unable to see that sweatshop employees are adults working no more than 12 hours for a decent wage. Under ethical fashion we can classify companies that are able to demonstrate fair treatment of textile producers throughout the production chain.
Zero waste
Another aspect of slow fashion is a lifestyle that seeks to minimise waste production. The aim is that waste should be sorted and recycled or not generated at all. It applies to all areas of life, including eating, living and the consumption of goods and services.
How to live as sustainably as possible?
When shopping
- Verify the place of production of the product. If a Swedish brand has a MADE IN TURKEY label on their clothes, they won't be very sustainable.
- Research the practices of fashion brands before buying their product and read their independent reviews.
- Check if clothing companies state the origin of raw materials and ethical labour standards in their sweatshops.
- Look for independent certifications of quality and environmental standards.
- Buy quality clothes that will last a long time.
- Buy second-hand clothes.
- Before I buy something, I think about whether I really need it - to reduce my clothing consumption.
With the clothes I already have at home.
- Wash at a lower temperature and use gentle detergents.
- Don't dry clothes in the dryer.
- Repair minor flaws in clothes (if they are quality pieces, it's worth it).
- Sell or donate models that I no longer wear.
- Repurpose items that are no longer wearable - re-sew, use as a dishcloth, cloth or cosmetic pad.