Slow Fashion Movement and You

What is Slow Movement

According to Wikipedia, the slow movement (sometimes capitalised Slow movement or Slow Movement) advocates a cultural shift toward slowing down life's pace. It began with Carlo Petrini's protest against the opening of a McDonald's restaurant in Piazza di Spagna, Rome in 1986 that sparked the creation of the slow food movement.

Some Facts About Slow Fashion

• In 2007, Kate Fletcher from Centre for Sustainable Fashion, UK, introduced the term 'Slow Fashion' was introduced to the world. 
• Unlike Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion is not a fashion trend that would fade away with change in season or time. Slow Fashion is there to exist. 
• Slow Fashion is totally opposite of Fast Fashion. It takes time to develop slow fashion and it lasts. 
• The Slow Fashion Movement is based on the same principle as Slow Food Movement. The Movement provides an alternative to mass-produced clothing (AKA Fast Fashion).

Slow Fashion Practices 

• Opposing and Boycotting mass-produced ‘Fast Fashion’. 
• Choosing artisans to support the artisans and small business, fair trade and local made to support Slow Fashion.
• Buying Vintage clothing, recycling and reclaiming the old and used clothing into a new style of garment. 
• Doing It Yourself (DIY) such as making, mending, customising, altering, up-cycling once own clothing in order to slower the rate of consumption.
• Using sustainable fabrics to produce new products, and supporting the handmade fabrics makers while doing so. 
• Slowing the rate of consumption through all practices listed above. 

Sustainable Fashion 

Unlike Fast Fashion, sustainable fashion is here to stay. Sustainable fashion has little or almost no adverse effect on environment, it is recyclable and can be converted into totally different piece of product with some modification.

DesiCrafts Involvement

DesiCrafts advocates slow fashion and believes that in future, the slow fashion will be significant in making the world a better and liveable place for our coming generations. In order to support Slow Fashion, DesiCrafts collaborates with handmade artisans across India to provide you beautiful handmade fabrics and clothing.

Our collaboration with handmade artisans in different arts such as Madhubani, Bagru, Ajrak, Kalamkari, Ikat etc. enables us with a sustainable range of fabrics and clothing that is going to stay and transfer from generation to generation.

Your Participation as a Buyer

You, as a buyer are an important part of Slow Fashion Movement. You can support the movement in the following ways.

A). Differentiating the Fast Fashion From Slow Fashion

Before you go and buy a fabric or a garment, ask yourself a few questions

• Is the garment made of handmade fabric?
• Is the price correct for the garment, given the time it took to produce?
• Is seller able to justify the selling price and the price given to the labourer for making the garment?
• Can I up-recycle the garment into something else once I stop wearing it?
• Does it has an adverse effect on the environment if I destroy it? Is it bio-degradable? 

B). How Can You Participate

• By practicing the slow fashion movement guidelines as listed above.
• By talking about Slow Fashion, by gifting, buying, using products which are made ethically, obtained in a fair trade manner and which don’t hurt the environment. 
• By volunteering and donating to the organisations active in Slow Fashion Movement.

Image Credits: DSource IIT Bombay