We’ve all purchased a blouse, pair of pants, or dress that ripped immediately at the seams, or the zipper got stuck and broke right away. It’s heartbreaking. Have you ever noticed that clothes from 30, 40, 50+ years ago just look and feel better?
It seems to be the unfortunate reality today that our clothing simply isn’t the same quality as the styles of the past. According to the UN Environment Program, the number of times a garment has been worn has declined by 36% in just 15 years, yet fast fashion brands are producing twice the amount of clothes today than in 2000.
The consequences of cheaply-produced clothing and the fast fashion industry are more than just our personal disappointment and frustration. These fast fashion brands create damaging impacts on the environment. According to Earth.org, 92 million tons of textile waste are produced every year by these brands—that’s a garbage truck full of clothes entering a landfill every second—with predictions that, without intervention, the amount of waste will reach 134 million tons by 2030.
Where is this waste coming from? While much comes from the waste that clothing companies generate in garment production, a lot of it comes from us, too, when we toss away clothes that are worn out or that we simply don’t want anymore. According to the EPA, Americans generate 11.3 million tons of textile waste that ends up in landfills. Even when we do our best to donate or recycle unwanted clothes, we still contribute to the fast fashion environmental crisis.
There’s a lot we can’t control about our environmental impact because of corporations like those in the fast fashion industry—but that doesn’t mean our individual efforts are meaningless. Enter: slow fashion.
According to Good on You, an organization rating fashion and beauty brands on sustainability, “[Slow fashion] encompasses an awareness and approach to fashion that carefully considers the processes and resources required to make clothing. It advocates for buying better-quality garments that will last longer, and values fair treatment of people, animals, and the planet along the way.“
If fast fashion is produced with poor materials and unethical labor practices, then slow fashion is produced ethically with high-quality fibers. If fast fashion is about keeping up with trends, then slow fashion is about timeless, durable pieces. If fast fashion is about the low price tag, then yes, slow fashion might be more expensive up front. However, what’s ultimately cheaper: buying a new, $40, cotton-acrylic sweater every year, or a $100+ wool-blend sweater that will actually keep you warm that you’ll have for decades, maybe forever? The cost-per-wear reveals the true difference; you’ll actually save money if it means you’re buying less often.
But slow fashion isn’t just buying from brands that are environmentally- and ethically - conscious. In fact, you don’t have to buy anything new to join the slow fashion movement; there are other ways you can reduce your participation in the growing textile waste crisis. Buying clothes secondhand are a fabulous antidote to fast fashion, especially if you find something vintage with that lasting quality most clothes today are lacking. If you thrive hunting for that perfect piece, thrifting might be your new favorite way to develop your eco-conscious wardrobe and style.
If you’re looking to dig even deeper into the slow fashion movement and develop a meaningful hobby along with it, then making your own clothes might be your next adventure. Whether you choose to knit, crochet, or sew, the fibre arts are enduring crafts with centuries of tradition. The tried-and-true techniques have let crafters produce handmade garments that, with the proper care, last generation after generation. You’ll engage with practices and methods invented and used by millions of crafters before you, so it helps you understand the true time and effort needed to produce a single garment, like a sweater or blouse. And, your creation will be unique and distinctively you.
An even higher level up? If you have any store-bought, machine-knit sweaters that you don’t wear anymore, you can breathe new life and use into them by ripping the seams to separate the panels, then unravelling into yarn—ready to knit into whatever you like. I’ve done this to a few of my old sweaters; it feels like you’re getting away with something! This is slow fashion to its core.
However you decide to embrace more slow fashion into your life, the practice of mindful curation both saves the environment and enhances your style.