There is no debate that fashion serves as a form of expression. Even if people aren’t consciously choosing clothing as a means of spreading a message, what they wear tells us a lot about who they are and how they feel. With so many different patterns, textures, and styles to choose from, fashion acts as the perfect medium to show the world a bit of our personality.
Over time, fashion has shifted from a form of creativity and self-expression to the never-ending pursuit of the latest trends. The ultimate goal of many modern-day consumers is to always have the hottest new look. The current fashion industry operates in a way that is known as "fast fashion", ensuring there is a constant demand for new trends. This requires designers to find the quickest and cheapest ways to keep up with these ever-changing demands and, in turn, consumers are hyper-focused on buying what’s “in-style” over quality clothing. This is a disposable system that only benefits the industry. The consumer is buying cheap products that won’t last while the industry is making money and reaping all of the benefits.
Instead of telling others who we are, the clothing we now wear is categorizing us. By trying to keep up with the most recent trend, we are losing our sense of self and, in turn, feeding a power-hungry fashion industry. A new, small movement in fashion is on the rise called “slow fashion,” and hopefully it becomes a staple instead of just a fleeting dream.
Slow fashion is precisely the opposite of fast fashion, serving as a movement of designing, creating, and buying garments for quality and longevity. This way of creating clothing encourages slower production schedules, fair wages, lower carbon footprints, and it attempts to be as zero waste as possible. This method focuses more on allowing us to wear what we want rather than meeting new trends.
Here are some amazing brands that honor slow fashion:
- Wolven Threads –They create their garments using fabric made from recycled plastic water bottles and “believe that beautiful fashion should not come at the expense of our planet”.
**I now sell Wolven Threads on my site so be sure to check them out :)
- Dazey LA - This LA female feminist designer (who happens to be my Biz Babez co-founder and business partner) spreads powerful messages while saving the planet. “We create the clothing to order in an effort to minimize waste and do our best to make a positive impact on the environment.” Your closet and your wallet will not be disappointed either.
- Synergy Organic Clothing - This clothing brand focuses on making eco-conscious clothing. At the core of this brand, Synergy is not only committed to creating clothing with a minimal environmental impact, but also empowering men and women through ethical employment practices.
- Nooworks - This LA-based company says that “In an effort to be sustainable and keep all our production in the USA we print our fabric using a method called rotary printing so we can print on high quality fabrics derived from plant matter.” This company also uses a limited amount of fabric and works with local designers in order to create a localized fashion company.
- Nau - Nau’s philosophy is that, “For over a decade, we've pioneered sustainable fabrications, retail concepts, giving programs and philanthropic partnerships. It's this relentless search for better that has produced the best in versatile apparel design.”
- Alternative Apparel - 80% of all of this brand’s products are made with sustainable materials and processes. These quality crafted garments are made with care and consideration for all aspects of fashion.
**Be sure to get tickets to the Seed X Eat Drink Vegan FASHION + ART SHOW at the Roxy Theater on Wednesday, 5/23/18! Tickets include food from Plant Food for People, cocktails by Jason Eisner with GT's Kombucha. LIMITED AVAILABILITY.
