What is Slow Fashion?

In recent years, slow fashion has become a trend in several places in the fashion industry, and if you have not heard of the term before, or if you are not quite sure what it is, then you are certainly not the only one. That's why we give you an insight into what slow fashion actually is.

The opposite of fast fashion

To understand slow fashion, you first need to understand fast fashion. Fast fashion is a concept that was made possible at the end of the 20th century, when materials such as polyester and nylon became widely available, so that clothing production could be made cheaper, and also other links from designer to consumer were also made more efficient, so that clothes could be get from brand to customer. Fast fashion means that there are more collections from a brand than just the usual spring/summer and autumn/winter, and it also means that consumers have the opportunity to change their wardrobe much more often.

Slow fashion is somewhat of a counter-movement to fast fashion. Slow fashion is about the fact that the clothes do not have to be replaced nearly so quickly, and that the clothes are not produced to hit a specific fashion at a specific time, but that they can be used for several seasons in a row without being "outdated". But it is also about being more environmentally conscious in production, for example in terms of materials, and that the clothes are produced with respect for the people who produce them.

Slow fashion is a trend that is gaining ground more and more - largely because consumers are also becoming far more environmentally conscious. This means that there is a greater demand for clothes that are produced in a way that does not burden either people, the environment or the global climate. The concept of slow fashion leans a little on other "slow" trends - for example slow food, where it is about locally produced ingredients and traditional cooking. In other words, cultivation and cooking, which take time, and which have a different character to much of the food that is available quickly at fast food chains or the like.

Changing the game

It used to be that there was an autumn/winter collection and then there was a spring/summer collection. Thats it. Now new items are released every single month – yes, even on a weekly basis. In fact, we expect to see new items all the time when we pass by our local fashion store.

For some, it sounds great to have new clothes all the time. I would like to go a bit the other way. This extremely rapid change of clothes puts enormous pressure on our planet. For many years, the fashion industry has wasted water, pesticides, cheap labor and CO2. The focus has been exclusively on earnings and the consequence of this has been a huge waste.

Fortunately, there are more and more people who are opening their eyes to the fact that we must create a more sustainable way of getting clothes on the body. That it's okay to slow down. We are realizing that we can be beautifully dressed without turning a blind eye to the huge environmental costs that come with fast fashion.

A trend has also been created towards creating your own clothes. Sew, knit, crochet and weave garments, in selected materials and designs. Many hours and thought are often put into the clothes we create ourselves, and therefore we take extra good care of them. They don't end up in the trash after being used just once or twice. When you buy ready-made clothes in the store, you don't think about the fact that there are some people somewhere on the planet who have spent many hours making the piece of clothing you have in your bag home.

Slow Fashion is a counterpart to fast fashion. It's a no thanks to use-and-throw-away. It's a yes to using what you have, taking good care of your clothes, making your own clothes and buying sustainable quality clothes in natural materials.

A sustainable choice

As mentioned, slow fashion is about producing sustainably with respect for people and materials, and if you want to shop for sustainable clothes, you should look for brands that make slow fashion. In other words, you should steer clear of stores that often replace the entire range in the store and instead look for brands that make clothes that are made from good materials that are not nearly as harmful to the environment. Also remember that very cheap clothes are often fast fashion, because slow fashion is simply more expensive to produce. On the other hand, the people who make the clothes are usually also taken care of, and the clothes can be made from recycled or organic materials. Some of the very large chains that primarily produce fast fashion also often launch collections that fit into a slow fashion context.