We're passionate about creating timeless styles in ethical ways, fashion that doesn't cost the earth. It's common knowledge that the wider fashion industry has a damaging impact on the environment and it's clear that something needs to change.
As proud proponents of both the slow fashion movement and sustainability, we at Free The Label wanted to look deeper into and compare the realities of fast and slow fashion.
We've all heard the terms fast fashion and slow fashion before. But what does Fast Fashion really mean? And what do Slow Fashion brands do differently? Let's look into the obvious differences.
Over the past 50 years fashion, consumerism, and the demand for mass-produced clothing has increased significantly. Companies started to search for new ways to keep costs low and maximize profits. Some people could argue fast fashion is what we've all been waiting for. Essentially it's fashionable items at an affordable price. So where lies the problem?
To keep costs down and profits high, big companies started to outsource their materials, production, and so on. Countries like India, China, Cambodia, amongst others, became notorious locations for the worst working conditions in the world. Yes, it's cheap production, but at what cost? Fast fashion meant poor working conditions, labour exploitation, cheap quality clothing, and severe negative impacts on the environment.
With a huge rise in fast fashion, comes large-scale environmental and social side effects. Fast fashion makes shopping for clothes more affordable, but it comes at an environmental cost.
As a society that has come to believe that more is better, we have created such a huge consumption issue. However, we're seeing more and more brands going against these trends and focusing on “slow fashion,” - creating clothes mindfully.
Being a conscious consumer means looking beyond the price and focusing on the company behind your purchase. Asking yourself some questions like, where is this item from? Why is it so cheap? Does this fabric harm the planet?
So, let's take a look at a more holistic approach to fashion.
As the world grows more ethically conscious and consumers look to understand the ecological and human footprint of their clothing, there is a huge movement for timeless, higher-quality products.
Slow fashion!
It's all about creating mindful, curated collections based on quality instead of forcing out large quantities of cheap, mass-produced seasonal clothing.
Slow Fashion is an approach to producing clothing that takes into consideration all aspects of the supply chain and in doing so, aims to respect people and the environment. Focusing more time on the design process, ensuring that each piece of apparel will stand the test of time. Slow fashion is mindful of workers, the environment, and cultural connections. With a high focus on quality, locally manufactured clothing, produced on a smaller scale and with slower production times. Creating long-lasting, ethical pieces which have less harmful consequences to our planet.
So, as a consumer what can we do to impact the earth and society when buying our next fashion purchase? Say NO to Fast fashion.
Remember, every time you spend money, you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want so, be a conscious consumer.