Slow Fashion and Shopping Small

Shopping for clothes while also caring about the planet and working conditions is not easy. There aren’t as many brands, not as many styles and trendy pieces, and it tends to be a lot more expensive than H&M or Forever 21. But fast fashion is just not sustainable, it’s dangerous for workers, the planet, and us. Workers are expected to make crazy output quotas, factories leave a huge carbon footprint, and we receive garments that are not designed to last, and will take years upon years to decompose in landfills. Personally, I’ve had enough of cheap tops falling apart and reading about inhumane sweatshop conditions.

It’s time to start investing in our wardrobes, it’s time to start shopping smart. I believe the future of fashion is slow, sustainable, and of superior quality. According to Study NY, slow fashion is the movement of creating and purchasing garments made to last, it promotes slower production, a liveable wage for workers, less environmental impact, and less waste. We need to start either making our own clothes or buying from shops and brands that make small batches. 

Making your own clothes sounds daunting, but I promise it’s not. You don’t necessarily need to know how to sew to make cute clothes for yourself. With TikTok and Youtube, it is so easy to learn how to crochet, knit, or sew trendy clothes and accessories. During quarantine, I learned how to crochet and I did not expect to learn as quickly as I did, nor did I expect to be able to create clothes that don’t look like stereotypical grandma sweaters and scarves.

As for shopping small, I have had a lot of fun finding cut brands on Instagram. I have tried to steer clear of apps like DePop and Poshmark because of the unethical thrift shopping for the sole purpose of reselling at a much higher price. I prefer to shop from people who make their own clothes instead of upcycling and up-charging old clothes. Some Instagram brands I have been loving are Marzipan Clothing for adorable crochet pieces, With Love Adelle for beautiful handmade jewelry, and Everlane for simple, everyday clothes.

 

• diy
• fashion
• knitting
• Sewing
• style