What is Slow Fashion?
PALAVER is a Slow Fashion Label. But what does it mean? We will explain more about slow fashion in this journal. You can also read more about our values here.
(Meaning via Forbes: "Slow Fashion is an approach to producing clothing which takes into consideration all aspects of the supply chain and in doing so, aims to respect people, the environment, and animals. It also means spending more time on the design process, ensuring that each piece of apparel is quality made."
The term ‘slow fashion’ came about from seeing the need of a slower pace in the fashion industry. It was coined by Kate Fletched from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion. Slow fashion counters the fast fashion model that began around 20 years ago. This is when clothes started becoming cheaper and cheaper and trend cycles started speeding up. Many big brands started burning tonnes of unsold garments every year. It's clear that the close the loop philosophy is still not part of the fashion industry as a whole.
Before this, clothing was locally produced and fabrics locally sourced. It was important to the customer that clothing would be durable and serve them a long time. It was also very common for people to make their own clothing from fabrics and resources available to them (like Im sure many of our parents or grand parents did). Clothing was a reflection of a certain time, space and culture and the people wearing them. Slow-fashion takes us back to some of these old ways.
Slow fashion asks us to think before making the decision to buy. It emphasises quality over quantity. It asks how can you be part of the solution to the problem of fast fashion? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to buy something that you really like, or to use it for years to come.
It's all about being mindful of what you're buying and how much you're spending on it. If you can afford it, then by all means buy the best quality pieces that will last a lifetime.
But if your budget isn't quite so generous and it’s more important for you to spend less money rather than more, don't feel guilty about opting for cheaper versions instead—as long as they're still good quality products! Wearing an item over and over again also allows us to build up our knowledge of what works well together in our wardrobe—and what doesn't work so well! This is a great way of learning more about yourself while saving money at the same time.
Not buying something that you can't use for at least two years. This is a great way to start slow fashion. It's not always easy, especially if you're in the habit of buying new clothes each season. But one way you can try this is by only purchasing clothing that you can use for 2 years or more.
This means that if you're shopping for something specific (say, for example, a shirt), then it should also be durable enough that it will last at least two or three seasons without fraying at the edges or falling apart from wear and tear. Buying things with long lifespans also means you'll need to be pickier about what quality of fabric goes into making them—and this will lead us into another step on our journey toward sustainable fashion choices.
Some characteristics of a slow fashion brand:
o Made from high quality, sustainable materials like linen
o Garments are more timeless than trendy
o Often sold in smaller (local) stores rather than huge chain enterprises
o Locally sourced, produced, and sold garments
o Few, specific styles per collection, which are released twice or maximum three times per year, or a permanent seasonless collection
o Often made-to-order to reduce unnecessary production
Hope this was helpful <3
Remember: everyone is on their own journey. So don't rush the process. Start small. Slow living and slow fashion come together when you begin to be more aware of what's happening around you.
xx
Aliska & Cylia
