Fast fashion brands create clothing that is cheaply and rapidly made in large quantities. This clothing copies styles worn on runways, by celebrities, on social media, and created by independent designers. These brands release styles weekly – or daily – in pursuit of ever-increasing profits through overproduction and overconsumption.
Fast fashion is artificially cheap. Prices are kept low so that people don’t think twice about buying more. This low cost hides the true environmental cost of this overproduction which includes carbon emissions, plastic pollution, excessive water use, and loss of biodiversity.
This cheap clothing affects people too. The people in fast fashion supply chains are stuck in cycles of poverty, because they are not paid living wages.
Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. Clothes are produced at a slower pace, in limited quantities, and each step in the supply chain is considered in order to minimise social and environmental harm. Slow fashion is also about encouraging a culture shift that moves away from thinking about fashion as disposable, and towards a more caring relationship with our clothes.
In a world of rampant greenwashing, here are a few ways to spot a slow fashion brand:
1. Limited, small-batch collections
While fast fashion brands churn out countless new clothes weekly or even daily, slow fashion brands release just a few collections each year in small, intentional batches.
2. Mindful marketing
Fast fashion brands are always pushing you to buy more. Slow fashion brands promote mindful purchasing habits. This means sharing tips and tricks for versatile styling, emphasising that clothing is an investment, and being aware of how often they release marketing material.
3. Timeless, trans-seasonal designs
Fast fashion thrives on endless trend cycles, which feeds into the idea that clothing is only meant to be worn a few times before it becomes “unfashionable”. Instead of chasing trends, slow fashion brands create garments that can be worn across seasons, year after year.
4. Designed to last
To counter fast fashion’s disposability, slow fashion brands create high-quality clothing that is designed to last.
5. Promotes a culture of care
Slow fashion brands will encourage you wear your garments for as long as long as possible – and then to repair, restyle, and recycle your clothing.
6. Materials matter
Slow fashion brands often work with low-impact materials, such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled fibres, or industry waste.
7. Ethical production
Part of slowing down means being able to create safe working conditions for all people within the fashion supply chain and paying fair wages.
8. Eco-conscious
From packaging to material choices and limiting waste, slow fashion brands try to keep their environmental impact to a minimum.
9. Transparency and traceable supply chains
While fast fashion’s global supply chains are opaque and hide the harsh reality of exploitation and extraction, slow fashion is made in smaller workshops or facilities in transparent supply chains. And if you are unsure, you can always DM or email a brand to ask.
- Cover image: Photo of models wearing Sindiso Khumalo by Armand Dicker for Confections x Collections
- Images in article: Sourced from brand websites. From top to bottom – The Herd, Dakotas, UNI FORM, Ballo