Introduction To Slow Fashion

There are countless amounts of phrases within the fashion industry, and it can be difficult to understand each one clearly. To give you a better understanding of these terms, a series of blog posts will be constructed. To capture all these together and for ease of searching, a PDF Glossary of Terms will be generated. For now, the subject being explored in this post is slow fashion. What is it? Why is it better than fast fashion?

WHAT IS IT?

In comparison to fast fashion, slow fashion consists of higher quality fabrics which take longer to make, rather than rapidly made clothing that garment workers are expected to perform in fast fashion factories. To reduce the amount of waste creating during production, many slow fashion brands offer a made-to-order practice, creating garments that have been ordered prior to construction. This can reduce the amount of pre-consumer waste as garments are being made using specific size measurements for the customer.

In relation to this, another positive to buying from a made-to-order brand is that you'll be able to request your specific size measurements, ensuring the garment fits perfectly for you.

WAYS YOU CAN SHOP SLOW FASHION

• buy from small or independent brands

• buying vintage

• making own clothes at home

• mending own clothes - this ensures the garment has a longer life, minimising the risk of being thrown out to landfill

WHY IT IS BETTER THAN FAST FASHION

In comparison to the high quantities of clothing released by fast fashion brands every day, slow fashion brands introduce a couple collections a year. As they are made using higher quality fabrics, and more time has gone into the construction of the garment, its possibility of breaking easily is much less than a fast fashion item.

SELECTION OF SLOW FASHION BRANDS ON THE MARKET

To offer you some idea on what slow fashion brands explore in their brand, a selection of slow fashion brands are presented below. Each of these discuss their working practices and why they label themselves as a slow fashion brand. Head over to their Instagrams which present an assortment of their collections!

Imi Studios

Instagram : imi___studios

Imi Studios are a Scottish brand founded by Imogen Evans. This brand releases only a handful of collections each year, which contain small amount of stock and offer a made-to-order service, reducing the amount of potential waste during manufacturing. As they are passionate about the need for more sustainability in the fashion industry, they have a message to "buy less, choose well", implying that you should be buying good quality garments and avoid cheaply made clothing which commonly needs replacing after a couple of months.

Alongside the considerations of material choice and production processes, Imi Studios ensure that all their "packaging is either recyclable, compostable or made of recycled materials".

By Megan Crosby

Instagram : bymegancrosby

Want to wear bright, bold clothing but are considerate of the current fashion impacts of clothing? By Megan Crosby is the brand to check out! Using only sustainable and headstock fabrics, the brand ensure to "make colourful, ethical clothing that is guaranteed to bring your wardrobe joy". Wonder how the brand achieves the bright colours without hazardous chemicals? These are achieved from OEKO-Tex certified dyes that are environmentally friendly to the planet.

To present the brands sustainability efforts, Megan has introduced their sustainability pledge, which includes how they "use only sustainable, deadstock, remnant and organic fibres" and "treat all of my team ethically and equally". To view all of these pledges, please head over to the link here.

Olivia Rose The Label

Instagram : oliviarosethelabel

Fan of a puffy sleeve? You will love Olivia Rose The Label, an Edinburgh based brand founded in 2017 by Olivia Rose Havelock. Inspired by her Grandma who taught her how to use a sewing machine, Olivia built her own slow fashion brand, offering handmade designs that are all made to order. As well as this, she also offers made-to-measure garments and customs sizing, giving you that perfect fit!

As she works as a "one woman show", Olivia Rose The Label garments can take 4-6 hours to construct, using locally sourced fabrics from the UK for every piece. Only fabric quantities that are required are ordered, reducing the risk of any production waste.

To finish, I hope this has given you an insight into the definition of slow fashion and why it's an important practice to carry into the future. There are plenty of other slow fashion brands and searching Instagram is a great way to find them!

Sabrina Cowper | Reform Your Fashion