Fast Fastion vs Slow Fashion

Fast fashion is a buzz word that is thrown around a lot. It’s used on various retail accounts, blogs (including my own), + social media accounts. It’s everywhere.

But what the heck is fast fashion?

“an approach to the design, creation, and marketing of clothing fashions that emphasizes making fashion trends quickly and cheaply available to consumers” Merriam-Webster Dictionary

“the term used to describe clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to stores to meet new trends. The collections are often based on designs presented at Fashion Week events.” Investopedia

Fast fashion allows consumers, you + I, to obtain the latest trends in cheap ways. Ever found yourself pursuing the aisles in Target or Forever 21 or H&M, just wondering how that cute top costs less than $10? Or that gotta have skirt that is $15?

Fast fashion is why.

But why is fast fashion so bad?

The prices for fast fashion items may seem great. But when you do your research + discover how very little these workers are being paid, it’s eye opening. In an article on their blog, Good On You shared that 1 in 6 workers around the globe work in the fashion industry, most of those being women. This is a huge issue in regards to human trafficking. These workers aren’t typically paid livable wages, or at all, in addition to working in some very deplorable conditions.

Fast fashion also encourages a throw away mindset. With fashion ever changing, we are constantly bombarded with needing the latest + greatest. That’s why you should avoid shopping trends since they are ever changing. I too have been guilty of buying trends, then feeling the need to purge my closet + start all over when knew ones arrive.

How do we combat this?

For starters, don’t aimlessly shop. Go in with a plan, knowing ahead of time what you are looking for. But don’t shop just to shop.

I personally have used shopping as a way to cope with my depression. I’d immediately feel guilty after getting it all home, but that surreal high it gave me while shopping made me feel better. So I kept doing it. I in turn racked up thousands of dollars in credit card + a closet full of clothes I wasn’t really wearing.

Start shopping second hand when you’re in need of a new outfit fix. I recently went on a budgeted shopping spree to update my wardrobe. I felt as if I was still wearing clothes that the 20 year old me would wear + preparing to turn 32, that wasn’t okay with me. But I had to figure out what my style was before I went shopping because I wanted to be purposeful in my shopping. I didn’t want another closet full of clothes I wasn’t going to wear. If you’re hometown is anything like mine, then I’m sure that you have plenty of local thrift shops to venture into (I’m ALL about supporting local every chance I can!).

For this wardrobe updating I chose to shop via ThredUp. They have a ton of options if you can sit and scroll for a while. If you aren’t familiar with ThredUp, they are an online second hand shop. They sell gently used clothing items for women + kids. All the brands you can think of + then some! You can also order one of their clean out kits to send them clothes you no longer want or wear to earn money back. However, there are some stipulations with this, so read up on it via their website before sending them things.

As my gift to you, use this link to earn $10 to shop with + I also get $10: http://www.thredup.com/r/G36MZT.

Enter: slow fashion

“an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.” GoodOnYou

Slow fashion focuses on ensuring workers are paid fair wages while also working in safe environs. It’s less about a “type” of fashion + more about being a movement. It looks like buying durable items that last longer; why you need to know what your style is!

These are brands that only release new clothing lines a few times a year rather than every few months. They are sometimes locally produced, then sold in small shops not large chains.

How do you find slow fashion brands?

My favorite way to find brands that fit the description of slow fashion is the Good On You app, or their website. Good On You rates thousands of different brands based on their practices towards the planet, animals, + people. I find this to be a super helpful tool, especially when dealing with brands I don’t know a lot about. They also share tips + dive deeper into the ethical + sustainable standings of various brands on their blog.

My favorite slow fashion brands

Elegantees

Able

Pact

Kallie & Co

Fair Indigo

Don’t overwhelm yourself with making the switch from fast fashion to slow fashion. Whatever you decide, don’t empty out your closet to start afresh! Keep what’s in there, unless it doesn’t fit or you no longer enjoy it. Also learn to mend your clothes when they rip. Treat your clothes like the friends they are!!

You can find links to the posts from GoodOnYou here: https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-slow-fashion/ + https://goodonyou.eco/the-impact-of-fast-fashion-on-women-in-developing-nations/. I’d encourage you to check them both when you get some time to read further into fast fashion, it’s negative affect on our world, + how slow fashion can help.