In the beginning of the 2000s, harmful environmental effects and unethical working conditions of the fashion industry became increasingly apparent. A new term called ‘slow fashion’ emerged to advocate for more sustainable and ethical ways to design, produce, consume and use fashion. This week, we will take a look at the rise and challenges of the slow fashion movement, but first, an introduction!
The term ‘Slow Fashion’ was first coined by Kate Fletcher where she compared the unsustainable practices of fashion to the likeness of the food industry. Adapted from the ‘slow food movement’, the term slow fashion quickly caught on to represent the need to critically re-evaluate our fashion production and consumption methods. Simply put, slow fashion is an approach which takes into consideration all stages of the supply chain. Inherently, it advocates for the respect towards building ethical working conditions and also protection to the environment.
Aspers and Skov (2006) notes that in the past decade, fierce competition and lack of transparency in our supply chain has driven down our social and environmental standards. However, more and more businesses are starting to realize that sustainability and ethical concerns are beginning to gain traction in fashion talk (Moisander and Personen, 2002). In conjunction, it also seems like more consumers are increasingly aware that their over-consumption habits can create an un-ending cycle of voracious and insatiable appetite (Joy et al., 2012). This increasing environmental consciousness in businesses and for consumers have quickly pulled more consideration into the apparel industry to incorporate philosophies of sustainability and moral fashion.
Very quickly, slow fashion has thus caught on to be one of the most prominent movements against fast fashion. While the term denotes the literal slowing down of production or consumption processes, it also entails much more. By incorporating social responsibility, sustainability and transparency, the slow fashion accentuates attentiveness that is mindful of various stakeholder’s perspectives (that of which includes buyers, sellers, designers etc…). Needless to say, this will have substantial impacts on the operations and behaviors of the fashion industry.
Coming Up
I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the slow fashion movement! In my next post, we shall go through how Slow Fashion is practiced to truly understand its implications towards fast fashion. Till then take a look at the video below for a wonderful overview of what Slow Fashion entails!
References
Aspers, P., & Skov, L. (2006). Encounters in the global fashion business: Afterword. Current Sociology, 54(5), 802-813.
Joy, A., Sherry Jr, J. F., Venkatesh, A., Wang, J., & Chan, R. (2012). Fast fashion, sustainability, and the ethical appeal of luxury brands. Fashion theory, 16(3), 273-295.
Marquis, C. (2021, May 14). What Does Slow Fashion ‘Actually’ Mean?. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/2021/05/14/what-does-slow-fashion-actually-mean/?sh=3adb2e6173b4.
Moisander, J., & Pesonen, S. (2002). Narratives of sustainable ways of living: constructing the self and the other as a green consumer. Management decision.
TEDx Talks. (2017, August 2). Slow Fashion - Food for Thought ? | Xenya Cherny-Scanlon | TEDxGeneva. [Video]. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKoGpYiyJzg.
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