Clothing is something we all have a relationship with, whether we think about it a lot or not. In general, we only wear half of the clothes we have in the wardrobe. Sure it sounds a bit strange? Why do we have so much clothes that we don’t seem to use?
Many of us also probably know that the fashion industry is neither the most environmentally friendly, climate-friendly or fair. New production of clothing, shoes, and accessories is often incredibly resource-intensive and the people who make the garments often have to work hard under poor conditions for low wages.
What does “slow fashion” really mean?
Slow fashion is an approach to fashion where focus and awareness are the focus, where quality is prioritized over quantity. You buy finer garments – and then not finer in the form of price tags, but of good quality and with as little negative environmental impact as possible, produced in a nice way.
It is a counter-reaction to “fast fashion”, that is to follow trends that are changing rapidly and that we are constantly buying new, even though the garments are not broken or worn out.
Is it possible to be interested in fashion, style, and clothing and still live sustainably?
Yes! It is definitely not about sacrifice or giving up something, or that one’s life would be worse. It is also not at all so you have to wear a certain type of clothing. You have to start with yourself.
All the changes we make, we only do if they are more beautiful, and it is perfectly possible to fulfill the needs you have without it having to destroy the environment or for other people.
Many clothing boutiques today talk a lot about, for example, materials. You have your own sustainability tags. But the thing to remember is that the business models have a lot to do in order to be sustainable because they assume that people will over-consume. It does not matter that they are very capable of another coloring process if it is still a matter of wanting them to buy five pairs of jeans. The basic problem is that we consume far too much, and we use what we buy far too short. If you start by buying only what you really love and use it for a long time, you have come very far.
Four tips for more sustainable clothing consumption:
– Make sure the garments are used longer. It can be both that you take care of the garment, but also that you are part of a longer chain, where you may buy second hand and then when you are tired of it give or sell it so that it gets a new owner and continues to be used. In this way, the same garments are allowed to live for a long time with different people.
– Build style confidence. List out what you actually like and don’t like and build self-confidence around it. Get to know yourself and your own consumer behavior. What do I like? Why do I want to buy new clothes? This means that you get fewer error purchases, which means that you will not own as much as you do not use. You also do not become particularly trend-sensitive. You can see more clearly what you actually need, and feel that “I am quite happy without this, I do not need to buy this garment.”
– Take back power as a consumer. Think of things like WHO is it that I want to buy this? Why do they want me to buy this? What need do I have when buying this? Consumption is often based on feelings and to some extent uncertainty, and this is how marketing is used. It is based on the message that you can become a completely different person, you can decide who you will become by buying the right stuff.
– Vote with your wallet when you buy new. Support the stores and brands we want, and some of it is newly produced. But that should not help us buy MORE things but then we should stop buying something else. You have to have two thoughts in your head at the same time – buy nicer things, but then buy just one thing and take care of it and have it for a long time.