Slow Fashion: What Exactly is The Slow Fashion Movement and The Trend of Wearing More Sustainable Clothes All About?
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Related: Another Poshmark Success Story! Seller Nick Waskosky Shares His Thrift Store Hacks For Turning $10 into $400 At its core, the slow fashion movement is all about passing up of of-the-moment items that you’ll be sick of by next season in favor of ethically, sustainably-made items you’ll keep for years to come. But how can you take slow fashion from an idea to a practice? Here’s what you need to know: What is the slow fashion movement? View this post on Instagram Choose #fairtrade ???????? Purchasing products that are fair trade certified can reduce poverty, encourage environmentally friendly production methods and safeguard fair working conditions. ???? ___ #makefashionbetter A post shared by Sustainable Fashion Guide (@makefashionbetter) on Sep 19, 2019 at 7:46am PDT Choose #fairtrade ???????? Purchasing products that are fair trade certified can reduce poverty, encourage environmentally friendly production methods and safeguard fair working conditions. ???? ___ #makefashionbetter A post shared by Sustainable Fashion Guide (@makefashionbetter) on Sep 19, 2019 at 7:46am PDT Eco fashion, on the other hand, has to do with the actual materials used to create the item. “Eco fashion is all about whether or not toxic chemicals are used in the manufacturing process, and whether it can be recycled at the end of its life,” Wicker explains. “Ethical fashion has to do with whether the people who made it were paid well and work in safe conditions.” Related: The 10 Best Metal Straws on Amazon.com Marci Zaroff, author of ECOrenaissance and an eco-lifestyle entrepreneur who coined the term “eco fashion,” told Parade.com that fast fashion has really only taken off in a big way over the past five to 10 years. “When I started working in fashion, there were four seasons a year. Materials were higher quality and derived from nature,” she says. “But now, fashion has sped up and there are 52 seasons a year. We need to come back to quality, design, materials, and manufacturing methods as an imperative, not a choice.” How to “do” the slow fashion movement Elizabeth Cline, fast fashion expert and author of The Conscious Closet, suggests starting with a big closet cleanout. “Go through everything you’ve got, and figure out what you’re happy to continue wearing,” she told Parade.com. “A lot of our clothes are beautiful and we’re excited to keep wearing them, and it doesn’t matter if they’re fast fashion or cost $5. If you want to keep wearing those items, that’s the most sustainable thing you can do.” Related: Tidy Up Your Home With These Marie Kondo-Inspired Organizing Products Once your clean-out is complete, get your clothes ready to donate. And this doesn’t just mean throwing them in garbage bags and bringing them your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. If you donate items that are in bad shape, they won’t get a second life—they’ll likely go straight into a landfill. “Carefully go back through everything and make sure it’s ready to have a second life,” explains Cline. “Do your part.” No matter how much you love the items you already own, you’ll inevitably want (and need!) new ones eventually. When this happens, you don’t have to spend tons of money in the name of slow fashion. “I’m a huge advocate for resale and secondhand shopping and looking for higher quality brands on the Real Real and Thread Up,” says Cline. “You can get a better price, and you can even resell at the end of the season. It makes sense on so many different levels for the fashion-loving consumer.” Zaroff says that in addition to shopping the secondhand market, renting is always a good idea. “Rent The Runway is great, because you can have a lot of fresh looks in a more mindful way where you’re part of creating these secondary market solutions,” she explains. “New business models that are very innovative are changing the face of fashion.” What to keep in mind about fast fashion brands “Slow fashion isn’t a product, it’s a movement. It’s about changing the entire industry so that fast fashion isn’t a choice,” suggests Cline. “Shift your purchases away from companies that aren’t doing anything for the environment or their workers and toward brands that are at least on the road to doing better.” Parade Daily Celebrity interviews, recipes and health tips delivered to your inbox. Email Address Please enter a valid email address. Thanks for signing up! Please check your email to confirm your subscription. When it comes to shifting our focus from fast fashion to show, we have a long way to go as a culture. But with a few simple tweaks you can do your part—so get started today. Are you wondering how to clean your metal straw? We’ve got the best cleaning tips here! Your use of this website constitutes and manifests your acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Cookie Notification, and awareness of the California Privacy Rights. Pursuant to U.S. Copyright law, as well as other applicable federal and state laws, the content on this website may not be reproduced, distributed, displayed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, without the prior, express, and written permission of Athlon Media Group. Ad Choices