Your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes you’ve never worn, and the next pieces are already tempting in the mid-season sale. A lifestyle like this is neither good for the environment nor for the people who are involved in the production of so-called “fast fashion”.
Cheap work abroad and production methods that pollute the environment are problems that have to be solved on a structural level. Yet more and more people are longing for options to contribute to a better world on an individual level.
One way to get there is the “slow fashion movement”. Slow fashion describes a sustainable and conscious approach to fashion that is just as versatile as the people who take part in it.
Slow fashion, also called fair fashion or sustainable fashion, for instance includes:
–> garments made from environmentally friendly material,
–> recycled clothing,
–> second hand fashion,
–> preference given to long-lasting, high-quality clothing,
–> conscious purchase from small and regional fashion labels.
This way, slow fashion contributes to the deceleration of our throwaway society and promotes a conscious use of resources and production.
Presumably, the term “slow clothes movement” was coined by Angela Murrills, a fashion writer for the online news magazine “Georgia Straight” in Vancouver.
Finally, in 2007, the term “slow fashion” first appeared in popular use. Kate Fletcher’s article for “The Ecologist” compares the efforts for sustainable fashion with the “slow food movement”, thus giving a name to the budging trend.
Slow fashion today
Nowadays, slow fashion has become an integral part of the modern fashion world. More and more brands are boasting sustainability efforts… or at least talking about them.
Usually, however, brief research is enough to find out which brands actually value conscientious production and ecological manufacturing practices. Marketing promises are made quickly, but treating the people who make our clothing in an appreciative manner requires profound commitment.
There is a lot at stake here. This animated film shows the negative influences fast fashion has on the environment better than any words could ever convey:
3 reasons for slow fashion
1. More mindfulness in dealing with fashion and those who make it
Those who go through life unconsciously will not appreciate fashion either. A five-dollar top here, a ten-dollar pair of pants there… We forget the inhumane conditions that make such prices possible.
People in Bangladesh and other “low-wage countries” produce disposable fashion for richer industrial nations.
For slow fashion brands like Urstil, however, it is important that fair working conditions prevail in the production chains. “I know my manufacturers and I know who is at the sewing machine,” confirms Urstil founder Elina Weinberg.
Anyone who constantly buys new clothes has to throw away old ones at some point.
Slow fashion supporters use their way of life to reduce not only waste but also toxic waste products that originate from the fashion industry. Because if you put quality over quantity, you buy less. This also reduces the fashion companies’ CO2 emissions.
In addition, slow fashion promotes the respectful use of human resources. Slow fashion brands refuse to work with countries where soft regulations allow workers to be exploited.
3. Sustainability
This buzz word par excellence is often used for all kinds of practices in the fashion industry that have little to do with true sustainability. The term and its misuse is a topic for an article of its own. Yet sustainability is inevitably one of the most powerful reasons that speak in favor of slow fashion.
The sustainable use of fashion can be found primarily in the recycling of clothing or in the purchase of second-hand goods. If an item of clothing is damaged, it can usually be repaired quickly.
Become part of the slow fashion movement
Of course, the problems that the fashion industry brings with it will not be solved overnight by slow fashion. However, it is a vital step towards an environmentally conscious world where workers in every country are valued and have safe working conditions.
Living sustainably is easier than you think. You’re in the perfect place on urstil.com! With us, you actively promote the respectful treatment of fashion and the people who make it.
Sustainable clothing – What is slow fashion?
Unsplash.com © Edward Howell
Your wardrobe is overflowing with clothes you’ve never worn, and the next pieces are already tempting in the mid-season sale. A lifestyle like this is neither good for the environment nor for the people who are involved in the production of so-called “fast fashion”.
Cheap work abroad and production methods that pollute the environment are problems that have to be solved on a structural level. Yet more and more people are longing for options to contribute to a better world on an individual level.
One way to get there is the “slow fashion movement”. Slow fashion describes a sustainable and conscious approach to fashion that is just as versatile as the people who take part in it.
Slow fashion, also called fair fashion or sustainable fashion, for instance includes:
This way, slow fashion contributes to the deceleration of our throwaway society and promotes a conscious use of resources and production.
The history of slow fashion
Elizabeth L. Cline laid the foundation with her book “Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Clothing“. Published in 2013, it quickly took the blogosphere by storm.
Presumably, the term “slow clothes movement” was coined by Angela Murrills, a fashion writer for the online news magazine “Georgia Straight” in Vancouver.
Finally, in 2007, the term “slow fashion” first appeared in popular use. Kate Fletcher’s article for “The Ecologist” compares the efforts for sustainable fashion with the “slow food movement”, thus giving a name to the budging trend.
Slow fashion today
Nowadays, slow fashion has become an integral part of the modern fashion world. More and more brands are boasting sustainability efforts… or at least talking about them.
Usually, however, brief research is enough to find out which brands actually value conscientious production and ecological manufacturing practices. Marketing promises are made quickly, but treating the people who make our clothing in an appreciative manner requires profound commitment.
There is a lot at stake here. This animated film shows the negative influences fast fashion has on the environment better than any words could ever convey:
3 reasons for slow fashion
1. More mindfulness in dealing with fashion and those who make it
Those who go through life unconsciously will not appreciate fashion either. A five-dollar top here, a ten-dollar pair of pants there… We forget the inhumane conditions that make such prices possible.
People in Bangladesh and other “low-wage countries” produce disposable fashion for richer industrial nations.
For slow fashion brands like Urstil, however, it is important that fair working conditions prevail in the production chains. “I know my manufacturers and I know who is at the sewing machine,” confirms Urstil founder Elina Weinberg.
2. Slow fashion actively promotes environmental protection
Anyone who constantly buys new clothes has to throw away old ones at some point.
Slow fashion supporters use their way of life to reduce not only waste but also toxic waste products that originate from the fashion industry. Because if you put quality over quantity, you buy less. This also reduces the fashion companies’ CO2 emissions.
In addition, slow fashion promotes the respectful use of human resources. Slow fashion brands refuse to work with countries where soft regulations allow workers to be exploited.
3. Sustainability
This buzz word par excellence is often used for all kinds of practices in the fashion industry that have little to do with true sustainability. The term and its misuse is a topic for an article of its own. Yet sustainability is inevitably one of the most powerful reasons that speak in favor of slow fashion.
The sustainable use of fashion can be found primarily in the recycling of clothing or in the purchase of second-hand goods. If an item of clothing is damaged, it can usually be repaired quickly.
Become part of the slow fashion movement
Of course, the problems that the fashion industry brings with it will not be solved overnight by slow fashion. However, it is a vital step towards an environmentally conscious world where workers in every country are valued and have safe working conditions.
Living sustainably is easier than you think. You’re in the perfect place on urstil.com! With us, you actively promote the respectful treatment of fashion and the people who make it.
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