Fast Fashion And Slow Fashion – What’s The Difference?
So we’ve heard that fast fashion is bad, but why? … and why is slow fashion the answer?
‘Fast Fashion’ is a term used to summarise the fast production processes adopted by many big fashion franchises.
Big name fast fashion retailers aim to develop, manufacture and deliver new product to market in the shortest time possible.
They typically have to make big compromises on quality, design, sustainability and ethics in order to meet these quick delivery timeframes.
Fast Fashion Brands – Meaning : A brand that emphasises making fashion quickly and cheaply available to their market. Commonly, a brand that values speed & efficiency over sustainability & ethical considerations.
Some of the most popular fast fashion brands have been known to mimic or reproduce other designer’s original designs, under-pay workers and take questionable shortcuts on their garment construction and overall quality.
The prevalence of fast fashion retailers has had devastating effects environmentally. Poorly made garments are often ill-fitting & uncomfortable. Low quality garments don’t last as long due their quick, overly-simplified construction.
This means that the world is being constantly inundated with new, low quality garments every week and the wearer is quickly tossing them aside. It’s a huge problem, and it’s stacking up.
For many fast fashion brands, sustainability is simply an inconvenience and a threat to their global marketing plans.
Many have attempted to divert attention away from their environmental short-comings with a ‘considered’ collection or similar… a little bit of organic cotton or natural linen fibre to throw their customer off the scent.
It’s a token act, while their mainlines are still manufactured in a nameless overseas factory by workers in potentially abhorrent conditions!
The alternatives for fast fashion over-consumption are thankfully abundant right now.
There is an anti fast fashion movement swelling. This movement is protesting against fast fashion and its pursuit of dollars over sustainability and ethics.
Click to view some good non-fast-fashion brands here
‘Slow Fashion’ – Meaning : An emphasis on quality, environmental sustainability, ethics, timelessness and the uniqueness of the design.
In slow fashion, sustainability, ethics and fair trade is paramount.
Slow fashion, by definition, is about slowing down the design and production processes to achieve a better end result for everyone.
For some beautiful examples of slow fashion, click here
Samantha Denford
Meadow Store Australia
Lee Ave, Jindabyne
Open Monday, Wednesday, Friday or by appointment
Shop Online 24/7
Comments
