SLOW FASHION

“Seventy-five percent of fashion supply chain material ends up in landfills. This amounts to ‘the
equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles per second.’”
— Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2018 Report

On average Americans buy a new piece of clothing every five days. Prices are so cheap that
clothing is now seen as essentially disposable. According to a McKinsey study, for every five
new garments produced each year, three garments are disposed of. Incredibly, research has
shown that 90% of our clothing is thrown away before it needs to be.The rise of this fast fashion
has created large-scale environmental and social side-effects. For instance Zara alone
produces about 840 million pieces of clothing for sale in its 6,000 stores around the world each
year, mostly by workers whose wages are below the poverty line. In China, India and
Bangladesh, once prosperous rivers have been destroyed by these very same factory
wastewater discharges; they have now become biological dead zones full of carcinogenic
chemicals. Additionally, the tiny plastic microfibers that fall from synthetic clothing during the
laundry process are flooding our water supply and food chain.
The apparel business, it turns out, is responsible for 10% of global annual carbon emission!

Slow fashion, in layman's terms, is the antithesis of quick fashion and is seen as a continuation
of sustainable fashion. Slow fashion is the widespread reaction to fast fashion. It’s thoughtful,
intentional, and holistic. It’s also an argument for hitting the brakes on excessive production,
overcomplicated supply chains, and mindless consumption.

The term was first coined by author, design activist, and professor Kate Fletcher. She defines
slow fashion as quality-based rather than time-based. Other slow fashion pioneers note that the
movement encourages slower production, unifies sustainability with ethics, and ultimately invites
consumers to invest in well-made and lasting clothes.
As Fletcher describes in an article in The Ecologist: “Slow fashion is about choice, information,
cultural diversity and identity. Yet, critically, it is also about balance. It requires a combination of
rapid imaginative change and symbolic (fashion) expression as well as durability and long-term
engaging, quality products. Slow fashion supports our psychological needs (to form identity,
communicate and be creative through our clothes) as well as our physical needs (to cover and
protect us from extremes of climate).”

Slow fashion is what quick fashion is not. It simply means a fashion awareness and approach
that takes into account the processes and resources needed to create apparel. It is based on
the idea of reducing consumption of clothes by prioritising the environment. It considers
everything from style to design, quality to even the intention behind its creation and promotes
the purchase of higher-quality garments that will last longer.
Slow fashion, like slow living, is countercultural; it contradicts existing societal conventions such
as "more is more" and "faster and cheaper is better." We all are a part of the fast-fashion
problem before we finally become a proponent of slow fashion.

While slow, ethical, and sustainable fashion all describe efforts towards an aspirational
goal—rethinking our relationship to clothes—slow fashion combines a brand’s practices (and
promises!) with a customer’s shopping habits. The movement works towards creating an
industry that benefits the planet and all people.

QUALITY CLOTHING MADE TO LAST

Fast fashion corporations spit new collections onto sales floors almost every week, and less
than one percent of all clothing materials are recycled into new garments. Slow fashion flips this
model on its head with slower production schedules, small-batch collections, and zero waste
designs. Instead of chasing trends (and clogging our landfills), these brands utilize enduring
styles with layering options and create classic and versatile pieces. This encourages customers
to build minimalist wardrobes and invest in garments that they keep for a lifetime.

Slow Fashion requires consumers to actively become more curious and intentional with their
clothing purchases. Thirty years ago, we each owned way less items in our closet on average
and the fashion industry had 2-4 seasons. Now, fast fashion brands produce up to 5,000 styles
a week, with many of them operating with 52 ‘micro-seasons.’ This creates a huge consumption
issue. In general, most people only wear about 20% of the clothing in their closet, so a great
start is for consumers to focus on being mindful - only purchasing what they need, investing in
trendless pieces vs. trendy and focusing on quality over quantity with clothing purchases.

“Instead of chasing trends (and clogging our landfills), these brands utilize enduring styles with
layering options and create classic and versatile pieces.”
Slow fashion retailers will often use linen, organic cotton, or Tencel to create sturdy pieces to
weather wardrobe storms and gentle enough to keep the environmental impact low.

In addition to caring for the planet through thoughtful design, slow fashion brands produce
clothing in-house or locally, allowing for full control over the supply chain process and labor
conditions. There’s no rush to scale quickly or create items to please the masses.

Consumer Strategies For Slow Fashion Movement:

Slow fashion’s barrier to entry is fairly low—anyone can join the movement. In fact, you don’t
even need to buy new clothes! Here are a few ways to get involved:

-Create a love story. Look through your closet and recount the history of some of your favorite
pieces. This can be as simple as remembering the time you spilled spaghetti on (and then
saved!) your white t-shirt or as grand as holding space for a piece of clothing passed down by a
loved one. Put life back into your closet! Love the things that you own. You can appreciate those
few things more if you have less. Don't treat anything as if it were a toy. To keep products out of
landfills, think about the product life cycle (repair, donate, upcycle, etc)
-Build a capsule wardrobe. This wardrobe method requires you to get real about what clothing
actually makes sense for your lifestyle. Only a select amount of items can make up a capsule
wardrobe. Your clothes must be as practical as they are stylish.
-Make thoughtful purchases. Begin by giving up the urge to impulse buy. Phone a friend
before splurging on a new pair of shoes, or consult your current wardrobe before purchasing an
item that won’t work with anything you own. Consider checking secondhand apps or thrift stores
first when you’re ready to buy something new. Think before you shop and think while you
shop-consciously buying less and limiting your consumption, reducing the frequency of your
shopping trips, opting for secondhand, thrifted, and vintage items.
-Look to expert guides. Here are a few to get you started: Ethical & Sustainable Clothing
Brands, Ethical Shoes, Affordable (Ethical) Clothing Brands, and Organic Clothing Brands.
-Do some research. In the inevitable situation that you discover a new slow fashion brand, take
time to vet the company and ensure that you’re investing your dollars wisely. Poke around the
brand’s website for specifics about the design process. Is it slow, sustainable, and ethical for
everyone involved? Does the brand disclose how and where the clothes are made? How many
collections a year does the brand produce? Answering these and like-minded questions will
illuminate whether or not a company practices what it preaches. When in doubt, you can send
the brand an email or reach out on social channels!
-Fast fashion brands should be avoided.
-To prevent greenwashing, do your homework, look for brand transparency (do they tell you
everything you need to know about their raw materials, manufacturing, supply chain, pricing,
and so on?)
-Look for brands and products that are both ethical and sustainable.
-Smaller local brands/businesses should be considered.
-Invest in higher-quality items that will last longer.
Choose timeless patterns and styles above seasonal trends

6 SLOW FASHION BRANDS IN INDIA

There are a few international slow fashion brands that have been deemed as the torchbearers
of slow movement in the industry like Stella Mccartney, Vivienne Westwood, Misha Nonoo, Pact,
Everlane to name a few. However, Indian brands are nowhere behind when it comes to
embracing conscious fashion.

Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro is a workshop initiative established in New Delhi that specialises in creating leather
artefacts while utilising the expertise of India's famous artisans.
They design and manufacture stunning pure leather bags and accessories

Ka Sha
While studying in London, Karishma Shahani Khan created a clothing line out of plastic gunny
bags, ancient chandeliers, and second-hand sneakers.
Upcycling abandoned clothing is the theme of her zero-waste "Heart to Haat" collection.

The Jodi Life

The Jodi Life is frequently mentioned in articles on the top sustainable fashion labels in India,
which are both environmentally friendly and extremely fashionable. They concentrate on 100
percent natural Indian textiles combined with the traditional art of Indian hand-block printing.

Chola The Label

Chola The sustainable fashion brand's attempts to prevent environmental damage as a result of
garment manufacturing are aided by the Label's simple shapes and easy-to-wear cuts. They
achieve this by producing all of their clothing entirely from post-consumer waste textiles and
recovered cotton. Their apparel line is both inexpensive and comfortable, and it contributes
significantly to India's sustainable fashion movement.

Doodlage
Doodlage is a quirky and very ethical apparel label dedicated entirely to the zero-waste
objective. Doodlage has been replicating age-old Indian traditions of changing and restoring
existing goods with patchwork-like features, rather than the fast-fashion concept of replacing
your garments every two weeks, by employing scrap textiles and materials and embracing
ethical design and production.

Maati
Maati is an Udaipur-based ethical fashion label started by Neha Kabra. Maati is motivated by
the people and absorbs a lot of local flavour. It aims to accommodate people of various shapes
and sizes. The clothing is adaptable, skin-friendly, and environmentally beneficial. It also has a
zero-waste strategy, which includes upcycling yarns, using natural dyes, and collaborating with
local artisans from all across the country.

In conclusion, even if we understand the concept of a sustainable lifestyle, to adopt slow fashion
is a deliberate effort and a collective consciousness of getting out of the ‘in trend’ attitude. Slow
fashion is the way things are going to be in the future. And we need to think ahead of the curve,
working to figure out how to get there through collaboration and creativity among designers,
manufacturers, and end users.
Slow fashion is more expensive than trendy clothing, but upcycling, reusing, and quality over
quantity module might just make it possible.
References:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/2021/05/14/what-does-slow-fashion-actually-m
ean/?sh=302a52ea73b4

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/what-is-slow-fashion/

https://www.iiad.edu.in/the-circle/what-is-slow-fashion-and-indian-brands-that-stand-for-it/