How can we take a step back from supporting fast fashion and investing that money and support towards slow fashion and small designers. The fashion industry is the biggest pollutant in the world, and it is important to think about what part we can do as individuals to turn such a dirty industry into a cleaner and more ecofriendly one. There have been many debates relating if it is possible to save the world from fast fashion. Since it is such a globalized industry, it’s hard to predict whether all these companies are going to fall or gain even more power. So far, they’ve been on a rise, “clothing sales doubled from 100 to 200 billion units a year, while the average number of times an item was worn decreased by 36% overall” (gitnux). So let me show you a couple things you can start doing to support slow fashion. On the top of my mind, I can already list six ways to get you started.
- Invest in a sewing machine.
- Upcycle old garments.
- Check out thrift stores.
- Buy pieces of quality that will last longer.
- Exchange pieces with friends
- Buy from small sustainable businesses, local and international.
Starting with why every household should invest in a sewing machine. Many are intimidated by that thought. One might think it’s difficult and the other thinks it’s scary to work a machine. But to be completely honest, it’s so much simpler than it seems, and this is coming from a fashion student in her second year of school who started from zero knowledge. After only a year and a half of school, I was able to pattern make and sew a blazer. Scratch the fact that I am a fashion design student, because even we use YouTube for tips and tricks and learning new technics of sewing. All that to say that you don’t need to go to a fashion school to learn how to sew. With today’s access to unlimited resources of videos and article on the internet, anyone can become a self-taught seamstress, patternmaker, or designer. It is true that in some cases it comes out more expensive to make clothes rather then buy. However, buying a sewing machine doesn’t necessarily have to be to create new pieces from scratch. It can be to upcycle old garments to transform them into completely new unique pieces. Which brings us to our second point of how to be more sustainable and respect slow fashion.
Upcycling pieces has unlimited potential, besides reusing clothes for a better purpose and giving them a new life, you are also working your imagination by challenging yourself to find new ways to transform close. In case you didn’t know, upcycling is the process of taking an old material and adding things on it and transforming it into something new and giving it a better value. If you don’t have any clothes you can cut up and upcycle, you can always check out your local inexpensive thrift stores. It’s important however to not get fooled by vintage business that sell some second hand items for crazy prices to people who don’t know the real worth of things. In addition choose your garments wisely in a thrift store. Don’t overconsume just because the prices are low. Buy something that inspires you, something that you see yourself wearing, styling, or upcycling. Be mindful and do not forget to wash the item before hand of course. Thrift also have an interesting fabric selection from which you can create your own clothes.
Sources:
Tool, GoldStar. “10 Reasons Why Everyone Should Have Their Own Sewing Machine.” Goldstartool.com, Goldstartool.com, 16 Dec. 2021, https://www.goldstartool.com/blog/10-reasons-why-you-should-have-a-sewing-machine.htm#:~:text=It’s%20an%20Investment%20in%20Endless%20Potential&text=Having%20your%20own%20sewing%20machine,whenever%20you%20can%20or%20want.
Watercolor Sewing Set Clipart | Illustrations ~ Creative Market. https://creativemarket.com/vivastarkids/642178-Watercolor-sewing-set-clipart.
“Fast Fashion Statistics and Trends in 2023 • Gitnux.” GITNUX, 20 Mar. 2023, https://blog.gitnux.com/fast-fashion-statistics/.
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