Recently, I’ve been shifting mine and my families clothes/products to be more “slow fashion” instead of “fast fashion”. This is not written to shame or condemn, but to inform. This isn’t something I was aware of until relatively recently. Perhaps you aren’t aware either.
Here’s some helpful links if you don’t feel like reading this from me:
Slow fashion podcast - excellent episode!
Fast fashion damages environment
Fast fashion devalues small businesses
Back when I was young, it was becoming known how bad the sneaker industry was…I feel like that shift is coming for fast fashion…
What is “fast fashion”? In a nutshell, mass produced, usually poor-er quality, “cheap” clothing or accessories. Think an Amazon dress, a target purse, Sams Club jeans, SHEIN clothes, etc…
“slow fashion” includes more sustainable fibers/materials, small businesses, stuff you aren’t usually able to pick up at the National chain store - items that require a bit more forethought.
Let’s rewind a little bit…
About 5 years ago, I was at a Civil War reenactment talking to one of the ladies, wondering how hot the dresses were in the Florida sun. Her reply was sorta surprising - the dresses weren’t that hot - the linen was so moisture wicking, that it was all very tolerable. I explained I was hot in my basic skirt - and she emphasized the need for natural fibers. I was wearing viscose and proudly told her it was made from bamboo - she schooled me pretty good about how it is super processed and doesn’t have the same benefits as linen or cotton. I carried on…but tucked away those tidbits…
A few years later (2019) I was at an herbal convention and a Native American female herbalist did an entire lecture on traditional fabrics and their importance, how they were made, etc….I was floored, but overwhelmed with it all…
I didn’t quite get it yet.
I started avoiding straight polyester, but still wore lots of poly blends and viscose/bamboo….
And I’m not sure what I read or how I got into this…but slow fashion, especially linen, has kind of been my 2022 crush….I learned about the benefits of linen to your body - which astounds me a fabric plays a role in your health….
As my nursing dresses started wearing out(less than 2 years old, fast fashion options), I started seeking linen replacements…while doing this, I started seeing the dangers of fast fashion..I’ll try to keep this as cohesive as I can.
A few benefits to linen are that it is moisture wicking and that it is more durable than cotton. It requires far less attention to grow than cotton - which requires lots of water and often lots of pesticides. It is hypoallergenic, and more antimicrobial than other fabrics.
Linen recap: it helps regulate body temp, more durable than cotton, more sustainable than cotton, hypoallergenic, and antimicrobial.
Additionally, linen emits a frequency of 5000 mHz. This is relevant as this is known to help *heal* the body…organic cotton is around 110 mHz, and the human body is around 100mHz at its norm…this is why many bandages have been made of linen for a long time, why royals wore linen...it’s been known to be an amazing fabric for a long time - we just know how to measure that awesomeness now. So it HELPS your health, just like choosing a healthy meal helps your health…your clothing fabric could be part of your wellness.
Onto the issues with fast fashion…I’m not even sure where to begin with this. We can start with polyester is actually *unhealthy* to wear. It is a plastic byproduct - as it breaks down, it contributes to the massive microplastics problem in our waterways and our ecosystems (and our bodies!). A huge majority of modern clothing is made from polyester or poly-blends. Fast fashion heavily relies on polyester as its main fiber of use. Many of these fast fashion companies have been found to have *toxic* levels of lead and other chemicals in their fabrics, even further affecting the environment the your body. Literally, wearing poisonous clothing…in this study polyester inhibited fertility in female dogs and strongly affected, negatively, the fertility of male dogs in this study. Anything that can affect fertility concerns me what else it is causing problems with…not to mention the growing fertility problems in our country - maybe all of our polyester clothes and products are a part of that equation.
Additionally, fast fashion requires *cheap* labor. Factories overseas - predominantly in China and Indonesia- use child and women labor at basically slavery pay, to produce these clothes for such low prices. Often these fast fashion monstrosities steal trends and designs from small businesses as well…which is gross…just awful.
Fast fashion recap: toxic fibers, possible factor in infertility, slave labor, bad for the environment, devalues small businesses.
So, what is a person to do? Well, there isn’t an easy or cheap solution. Part of the solution requires you not buying that cheap outfit at big box stores and shopping small on Etsy or through smaller businesses…it’s not always easy to find these companies nor is it always affordable. Additionally, we need to be writing to companies requesting them to start sourcing their fabrics more ethically and sustainably. H&M has some great baby options - lots of companies are getting into this with baby clothes, which is great to see! But adult clothes are still *way* behind.
I’m part of a wholesale club where I have access to small businesses, selling at wholesale prices…these companies aren’t on Amazon, they don’t deal with big box stores. They are often family run, people are paid ethically and the materials are sourced sustainably.
So in recent months, I’ve gotten rid of basically all of my polyester clothing. I have a few leggings from Earth Yoga (BJs carries that brand sometimes) that are organic cotton/poly blends that are helpful for yard work and exercise, etc. I’m actively trying to buy only cotton clothing for my kids- which is quite challenging for my older two. Amazon does have some organic cotton underwear that we LOVE from Amazon! We have used the Lucky and Me brand for many years and they hold up amazingly well, also! We’ve tried other brands too, and my kids come back to these as their favorite! I may start buying fabric and sewing linen dresses for Emilia until she is big enough for the companies I’m using. I’ll likely be starting a co-op to sell linen womens clothing - I’m still having a hard time finding men’s clothing that is linen, but it’s much easier to find all cotton options in men’s clothes, I feel. We use organic cotton bedding from Target or California Den on Amazon. I have been wearing Earth Shoes and I love them! I recently bought a leather purse and leather wallet on Etsy - handmade with excellent quality! Totally worth the wait for shipping and the cost difference was minimal between them and reasonable options at local stores.
We certainly aren’t perfect, and we certainly aren’t able to completely rid ourselves of fast fashion entirely, but I think we have a foot in the door and are well on our way to making changes! I hope this article was helpful and informative! So whenever you can, try to pick slow fashion options:) if you have a favorite slow fashion producer, put it in the comments! Me, in one of my favorite new linen dresses holding my daughter:)
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