How can fashion be Slow? Part I: Breaking Down Slow Fashion, and its place in the economic zeitgeist

Fashion can be confusing. There's new terminology appearing everyday. In this piece I decode Slow Fashion, it's benefits and what it looks like in practice. Let's talk about it!

While mulling over what to write in my first ‘real’ post, I remembered the 3^rd Law of Behaviour Change in James Clear’s Atomic Habits: ‘Make it Easy’ (Yes, I’m basic. Handcuff me). In the spirit of ‘making it easy’, I’m going to unpack a topic that I already have a lot of opinions on - Slow Fashion.

Slow Fashion has become a massive buzzword at least in the last 3 years. But what exactly is it? We know that it relates to buyers consuming less and brands producing less. Many brands use this label to appeal to a climate-conscious audience. But how many of them should be using this term and how many are abusing it? And is Slow Fashion really the industry-changing movement it’s purported to be?

At this juncture I implore you to buckle up for what is about to be an exciting 2-part series. First, we set the scene on what Slow Fashion is, then delve into the deeper questions of how much the fashion industry has taken to the movement and what the future holds.

Don’t worry, it’s only a 5-minute read.

In this piece we’re going to cover the basics:

1. What is Slow Fashion and what constitutes a Slow Fashion brand?

2. What is Slow Fashion’s Goal?

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What is Slow Fashion?

We can’t talk about Slow Fashion without mentioning fast fashion. Fast fashion refers to the rapid and low-cost production of trendy clothing from mass-market retailers. It targets consumers who seek the latest fashion trends. But is extremely harmful to the environment.^¹ Most clothes bought in the Western world are from fast fashion brands. Easy examples are Zara, H&M, Primark and Shein. But if we’re being honest, all your favourite luxury brands, such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada also fall into this category. Slow Fashion is a direct response to fast fashion’s trend-based overproduction and seeks to remedy the negative environmental and social effects of fast fashion.

Kate Fletcher is credited across multiple sources as the first adopter of this term.²^,³^,⁴ Fletcher pushed for a slower-paced fashion movement where customers prioritise quality and longevity over trend-based consumption, with the goal of limiting environmental degradation and promoting supply chain transparency and fair labour practices.

In simple terms, Slow Fashion means shopping and producing slowly. Consumers keep a minimalistic wardrobe and own a smaller amount of clothes that could last for a very long time (20+ years or even a whole lifespan) instead of owning a lot of clothes that they discard after a few months. Consequently, suppliers produce a limited range of styles, prioritising durability instead of churning out multiple collections a year. Slow Fashion also advocates for an ethical and sustainable supply chain.

Slow Fashion vs. Sustainable Fashion

Slow Fashion and Sustainable fashion are two popular terms that are often used interchangeably. Although they go together, and are both aimed at protecting the environment, they are not synonymous. Slow Fashion is specifically targeted at reducing consumption and production while caring for the environment. Whereas sustainable fashion means any kind of production that uses the most sustainable methods and materials through the product’s lifecycle (from design, manufacturing, and final sale, to use, reuse, repair, recycling, and upcycling). One could adhere to sustainable fashion without adopting Slow Fashion. For example, if I shop from a sustainable fashion brand but I’m buying new clothes every week. Technically I’m shopping sustainably, but I’m not shopping slowly.

Therefore, Slow Fashion is just one subset of sustainable fashion. All slow fashion is sustainable fashion, but not all sustainable fashion is slow fashion. Makes sense?

An intermission! Had you heard the term ‘Slow Fashion’ before this? What does / did it mean to you? Let me know in the comments <3

Essential Hallmarks of a Slow Fashion brand

Like I mentioned before, referring to yourself as a Slow Fashion brand has become a pretty sexy marketing tactic to draw in a certain type of customer. Some of you may have even thought you’d cleaned your conscience by shopping at a Slow Fashion brand. I, myself, have fallen for many-a-greenwashing.⁵ From our discussion so far, we can identify a few essential ingredients that a supplier needs to accurately use this term:

• Having high-quality and sustainable materials

• Producing and sourcing in-house or local places

• Using environmentally friendly production methods

• Employing fair labour practices

• Having few and specific styles per collection, or permanent seasonless collection

• Being made-to-order to reduce unnecessary production

Do you like my collage? ;)

What is Slow Fashion’s Goal?

Reducing Pollution and Environmental Degradation - The fashion industry accounts for 20% of global clean water pollution⁶ and 10% of global carbon emissions, more than emissions from international flights and maritime shipping combined.⁷ There are also damaging effects on supplier economies. In China, India and Bangladesh, once prosperous rivers have been destroyed by carcinogenic chemicals discharged from factories.⁸ By using more sustainable methods (e.g., organic materials, safe dying methods for clothes, avoiding micro plastics, etc.) and limiting overproduction, Slow Fashion aims to curb these negative production externalities.

Promoting Fair Labour Practices - Slow Fashion is about fairness and transparency throughout the supply chain. This includes providing fair wages, reasonable working hours, and safe working conditions for all employees. It goes beyond compliance with local labour laws and seeks equity for all workers.

Producing High-Quality Items - Slow Fashion aims at producing high-quality pieces that are designed to last. Consumers find value in owning fewer but better-quality items that hold more meaning and sustain wear over time.⁹

Slow Fashion in Practice: The 7Weaves Case Study

So, here’s the thing - I really did try to find an example of what I could confidently classify as a Slow Fashion brand that wasn’t just the first thing I saw on Wikipedia. But in my search, I realised that so many brands self-tooting as Slow Fashion are not transparent about their supply chain and product lifecycle. It’s no wonder consumer trust in sustainable fashion brands is dwindling.

We’ll have to settle for 7Weaves, a social enterprise based in Assam, India. 7Weaves produces hand-spun, hand woven Eri silk fabric in partnership with indigenous forest communities in Assam’s Loharghat Forest Range, part of the Indo-Burmese ecological region. Instead of using industrial processes, 7Weaves works with local artisans in centres in their own homes or on their own land. 7Weaves’ model also ensures that more production increases environmental protection. They provide guaranteed, salaried work for artisans year-round and distribute 50% of their profits annually to workers, creating a living wage for artisans and other participants in the supply chain.¹⁰

Several brands, including Jyoti Fair Works, Maku Textiles and Handwork Studio, employ 7Weaves as a key participant in their process. They all have a limited catalogue and use environmentally friendly methods in the other stages of production (at least that’s what the websites say). Therefore, these 3 brands, I can say with a fair amount of confidence, are Slow Fashion brands.

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So, you see, Slow Fashion is quite a simple concept and comes with a lot of upsides. But this is only one side of the Rubik’s Cube. I promise I’m not just throwing information at you. In the next part we’ll get into the real tea on how the apparel market has received (or not) Slow Fashion and what the reasons for this are.

If you’ve made it to the end (even if you skim-read) thank you! I started Lottus in Bloom to empower people who want to call themselves fashion nerds and creatives but don’t yet have the confidence to. I hope this helped you feel in-the-know on an important, but relatively new, theme in fashion.

See you soon 🫶🏾,

Lottus

1. ‘What is Slow Fashion?’ from Oxfam: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/what-is-slow-fashion/#:~:text=Slow%20fashion%20is%20the%20opposite,kinder%20to%20people%20and%20planet.

2. ‘Slow Fashion vs Sustainable Fashion’ from Green Suggest: https://greensuggest.com/slow-fashion-vs-sustainable-fashion-as-strong-responses-to-fast-fashion/#:~:text=Slow%20fashion%20focuses%20on%20brand,of%20a%20product's%20life%20cycle

3. ‘Slow fashion’ from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_fashion

4. ‘What is Slow Fashion?’ from Good on You: https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-slow-fashion/

5. Greenwashing is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s products are environmentally sound

6. ‘Explainer: What Is Slow Fashion and How Can You Join the Movement?’ from Earth.Org: https://earth.org/what-is-slow-fashion/

7. ‘Fast Fashion and Emissions: What’s the Link?’ from Earth.Org: https://earth.org/fast-fashion-and-emissions-whats-the-link/

8. ‘What Does Slow Fashion ‘Actually’ Mean?’ from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/2021/05/14/what-does-slow-fashion-actually-mean/

9. ‘What is Slow Fashion?’ from Italian Artisan: https://italianartisan.com/what-is-slow-fashion/

10. 7Weaves website: https://www.7weaves.com/about