What Is Slow Fashion?

What Is Fast Fashion and Slow Fashion?

To really understand what Slow Fashion is, it's best to start with what Fast Fashion is.

There are many clothing companies that are fast fashion. A majority of these stores are places you may visit frequently without even realizing where the clothes come from.

The Fast Fashion Industry

According to Good on You, here are several ways you can identify what Fast Fashion is: 

• Hosting thousands of styles that are all the "latest trends."
• Having a short turnaround time between the catwalk or celebrity media and when it hits the shelves.
• Hiring offshore manufacturing with the cheapest labor and the use of workers on low wages without adequate rights or safety.
• Limited quantity of a particular garment to create buyer urgency.
• Cheap, low quality materials, where clothes degrade after just a few wears and get thrown away.

You might be surprised to discover that many of the places you currently shop at are actually a part of the Fast Fashion industry. Places like H&M and F21 are only two of the most popular Fast Fashion companies. 

The Slow Fashion Industry

Here are several key factors that are a part of Slow Fashion:

• Implementing fair practices for environmental protection or preservation.
• Practicing mindfulness regarding the ethical and animal impact of their clothing.
• Limiting the amount of waste their clothing lines produce by producing high-quality clothing that are durable and versatile. 

Here are 6 ways you can support slow fashion:

1. Researching a company's source for materials and labor. 

The first step to supporting Slow Fashion is to do your research. Most retailers will include details on their website or about page regarding where their items are made or shipped from. It's also great to check the material and dyes that are used in the clothing. If you see words that are unfamiliar to you, feel free to look them up and find out more.

2. Buying from retailers who make 1-2 seasonal collections a year.

Unlike the four seasons most commonly known to the United States, fast fashion will have reportedly up to 52 seasonally released lines of clothing. Oftentimes, these retailers will revive previous trends or create lines based off of celebrity and slow fashion brands to create cheaper, low-quality products. While these products may seem like a bargain, the cost of the human exploitation and textile waste produced by these companies is definitely not worth the sale.

Meanwhile, you'll be able to recognize a slow fashion company by the small amount of "season collections" they produce. These collections are created by artists who have the desire to produce high-quality garments and showcase their craft.

3. Buying from retailers who make clothing from sustainable and high-quality materials.

When clothes are made from high-quality material, they are made to last through years of wear. But it's also important to know how materials are being obtained. Depending on the material, there are various amounts of water, labor, and shipping needed to create one garment. Trying to find how your favorite retailers get their material might help you decide if they are using sustainable methods of creating clothing.

4. Buying from locally sourced retailers.

Supporting slow fashion is a human rights issue. When you support locally sourced retailers, you are supporting local jobs. When locally sourced retailers cannot support their local factories and workshops, they are often forced to close these shops in favor of cheaper labor that can often forsake fair wages and safe working environments. Shop locally sourced to support your local community's jobs and artisan skills.

5. Wearing your clothes until they are worn out.

Did you know that it's estimated Americans throw out about 81 pounds of clothing each year? Sometimes these clothes may be barely or never worn articles. That's why it's important to re-wear clothing until it's worn out. Buying high-quality garments from slow fashion companies can also help with this issue. These garments are made to last instead of requiring you to buy multiple of the same garment because of poor quality or style issues.

6. Shop Majority Denim!

We are passionate about providing ethically produced clothing for your wardrobe. All of our pieces are able to be mix-and-matched with your individual style and are made with high-quality material originating from our Los Angeles factory. Our styles are meant to last, and some of our collections feature chemical-free washes. If you're looking for staple denim pieces for your wardrobe, Majority Denim is the place to shop!