Foxy Lady talks: Slow Fashion

Hi, as promised this week I am going to discuss fast and slow fashion.

Fast fashion is a contemporary term used by fashion retailers to express that designs move from catwalk quickly to capture current fashion trends. Fast fashion clothing collections are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year. Wikipedia

Slow fashion, the alternative to fast fashion and part of what has been called the "slow movement", advocates for principles similar to the principles of slow food, such as good quality, clean environment, and fairness for both consumers and producers. Wikipedia

As long as I have been old enough to buy my own clothes, I am pleased to say slow fashion has always been a part of my ideals, however, at times I have supported and been a part of fast fashion during my 20,s but, I have always had held a great respect for clothes (being that I make them and all).
By the age of 16, I was avidly making my own clothes, and dabbling in up cycling and buying from thrift shops, jumble sales and independents.
Back then charity shops, were much cheaper and not as popular as they are today, people often thought of them as being smelly, and for the needy. Personally, I liked a good rummage to see if I could find anything retro, or something useful to re-purpose. When I was at Art college, deconstruction was on trend, which basically means taking a garment apart and re fashioning it into something completely different, and I don't just mean making a shirt into a dress, I'm talking sculptures and whacky stuff like Comme De Garcons used to do. I am referring to late 1980's early 1990'.

Comme Des Garcons 1990

Jean Paul Gaultier 1990

Jean Paul Gaultier was doing a lot with denim, and I would replicate some of his designs by taking apart old jeans and putting them back together making something unique and funky. I had little money to buy fabrics, hence sourcing them from unusual places, I did the proverbial punk thing and made a skirt out of a (strong) bin bag (it lasted one night), and even had a go at making something from hessian potato sacks that a local farmer gave me (It was 30 years ago almost so I don't recollect what I did with it, maybe nothing in the end as I do recall the weave being very loose and therefore almost impossible to work with). Sorry to say I have no photos of my items, cameras and photos were much more of a luxury in those days.
So, why am I telling you this?
Because this is what slow fashion is about, up-cycling, re-using, re-purposing and its also about re-fusing and repairing.
Firstly, do you 'need' that item of clothing that you are admiring in a shop window? Can you look in charity shops, or have swap shops within your community? Can you attempt to repair those jeans with a patch? Sew a button back on that skirt? or pay someone to repair it. Is there a way you can make something larger because you have put on some weight (this works the other way round too, in fact its easier to make something smaller than larger). Can that maxi summer dress be made into 'this seasons' mini?
Also think about buying better quality clothing, that will last, find out 'who made your clothes', are they cheap and produced unethically abroad, or are they eco and fair trade? Is it something you will be proud to wear knowing you have chosen it for ethical reasons, and you will love it and wear it for years to come?
I have never been a big 'shopper', I have never been one of those women that goes shopping every Saturday, or at the end of the month on pay day. I've almost felt embarrassed in the past when I have done surveys and it says how much a month do you spend on clothes and make up? I have never had a monthly budget. Some times for my birthday, I would get money and go and buy a few new things, but they would always last me for years.
If I buy things from a chain shop now, it will generally be in the sale. but mostly, I will buy second hand (vintage), make it, or buy something fair trade from an Independent retailer. I have always loved independent shops because quite frankly, I want something a bit different.
Fast fashion is killing the planet, and we as consumers, need to start making more conscious decisions about our wardrobes.
 I have found a group on Etsy, that I have just joined, called the 'Up Cycled Clothing Collective'. Individuals, like myself, that are doing what I do, up cycling and re-purposing. They are reasonably priced, hand made and everything is individual. With organisations like Etsy, you are buying direct from the producer, so costs are less, and it is more personal, you may even get something to fit your unique body shape. Much nicer than having to go to town on a busy Saturday, getting stuck in traffic, finding a parking spot, and then trawling round the shops trying on clothes that someone else will have. I understand some of you may enjoy this, I am just letting you know the alternatives, and how you can be more ethical in your purchases.
I feel that I could waffle on about this subject continuously, but I don't want to preach, and I don't want to bore you. So I am going to leave it here, I would much prefer you to ask me questions about anything you are unsure about or do some further research yourself, so here are some links to useful websites.

https://www.fashionrevolution.org/
https://www.makesmthng.org/
http://elizabethlcline.com/overdressed/
http://www.wrap.org.uk/
http://www.globalfashionxchange.org/

Once you have changed your relationship with with clothes you too can be a part of the
#Fashion Revolution.