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Want to ditch fast fashion, but not sure what the alternative looks like? Meet the “Good” and “Great” slow fashion brands getting back to the roots of clothes making.
Meet fast fashion’s alternative: slow fashion
Fast fashion is bad news. As with many industries, higher population and consumer demand meant the fashion industry was flipped on its head around 30 years ago, and the overarching business model became more stuff, more quickly, and more cheaply. While it doesn’t sound so bad on its own, this quick turnover means worse conditions for workers, worse impacts on the environment, and worse quality garments in your closet. So, what’s the alternative?
Enter slow fashion. Simply defined as the opposite of fast fashion, slow fashion opts for a more sustainable approach to making clothes. Specifically, it hones in on reducing both consumption and production. This means the first steps to slowing down fashion in your world might look like making sure you really do need something new and shopping your closet for something that might only need a minor repair. The next step is to shop less often and opt for second hand garments to extend their life rather than contributing to new production. But if and when you do need something new, going for quality over quantity and supporting brands that take a slower fashion approach to design is key.
What makes a brand ‘slow fashion’?
There are a few characteristics you will find behind a brand embodying the slow fashion model:
- Clothes are usually made from high quality, lower-impact materials like organic linen.
- Garments are more timeless than trendy.
- Often sold in smaller (local) stores rather than huge chain enterprises.
- Locally sourced, produced, and sold garments.
- Few specific styles per collection, which are released twice or maximum three times per year, or a permanent seasonless collection.
- Often made-to-order to reduce unnecessary production.
Without further ado, here are 17 slow fashion brands that will help you ditch fast fashion for good.
