By Rachel McMinn
What is Slow Fashion?
Slow fashion is a term which has been coined in recent years, bringing awareness to the sustainability in the fashion industry. As the name suggests it is a direct opposition of fast fashion, bringing a slower pace to the industry.
Unlike fast fashion brands, slow fashion brings attention to and focuses on environmental, ethical and animal impacts within the fashion world. With Slow fashion, the aim is to buy higher quality garments less frequently instead of the mass amounts of cheap products that seems to be the norm.
As well as benefiting the planet, Slow fashion benefits the people who make your clothes as well. The garment workers of fast fashion brands often work in terrible conditions for less than the minimum wage. However, Slow fashion brands like to celebrate their workers and emphasis their skills.
If you are a fast fashion lover, you may be wondering how to make the transition to become a master of slow fashion. We cover a list of our favourite brands, as well as the best materials to look out for and the staple pieces you need in your wardrobe.
Our top 10 places to shop
Here is our list of the best places to shop, in order to master the art of slow fashion. Don’t worry, whatever you fashion needs we have you covered.
The materials you should avoid and why
It’s important to pay attention to the materials of our clothing, even though it may be something you don’t usually think about. Unfortunate, some materials have a huge negative impact on the environment. For example, they are non-biodegradable and can only be reduced to microplastics which pollutes the planet.
Luckily for you, we have already done all the research and put together a list of materials you should try and AVIOD.
- Polyester
- Nylon
- Acrylic
- Rayon
- Cotton
Most people assume cotton is a good material to go for, however, the amount of water it takes to create one pair of jeans is ridiculous. In fact, cotton cultivation has had drastic affects on the Aral Sea. Which the UN refers to as:
The best sustainable materials
Now that you know the materials to avoid, you must be wondering which materials you should be going for. Again, we have you covered and have created a list of the most sustainable materials – helping you master the art of slow fashion.
- ANY recycled fabrics!!! (But taking good care of them to avoid microplastics)
- Hemp
- Tencel
- Linen
- Soy Silk/Cashmere
Also, as mentioned above, cotton is not a sustainable material – BUT, organic cotton is. The difference is organic cotton does not include pesticides.
When looking at materials a good tactic to remember is organic materials are usually sustainable and man-made materials are not.
Invest in a capsule wardrobe
One of the main issues in the fashion industry is the amount of clothes we consume. That is why we recommend a capsule wardrobe! Now some of you may be wondering what a capsule wardrobe is, so let me explain.
Basically, a capsule wardrobe a small collection of essential clothes that are long lasting and withstand the seasons and ever-changing trend. Therefore, they are staple pieces allowing you to mix and match them to create a variety of stunning looks.
Don’t worry, we wouldn’t leave you without any inspiration. Check out the 5 pieces below that we recommend for every capsule wardrobe.
Now you know where to shop, what materials to look for, and some staple pieces, you can consider yourself a master of slow fashion.
Rachel McMinn
Rachel is a Media and Communications graduate from Glasgow. She currently runs a sustainable fashion blog and works in digital marketing, hoping to build a career in the fashion industry.
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