What is slow fashion?

The trend of being slow has dominated our kitchen menus, task schedules and project implementation methods, as well as our wardrobes, cities and free time. Slow Movement it is an element of the modern culture of life, thus touching every part of our existence, reaching to its foundations and roots. Slow food, slow life, slow fashion, and finally work-life balacne - these English phrases hide principles that we can describe as conscious, sustainable living. By balanced, we mean an approach that rationally determines, defines, evaluates and predicts the consequences of all decisions made, which are not without significance for ourselves and the environment.

Slow Movement - all roads lead to Rome

Slow Movement is, above all, slowing down the pace of life as a response to growing consumerism and the thoughtless pursuit of goods. The movement was started by the Italian activist Carlo Petrini, who in the 1980s put up significant resistance against the opening of another McDonalds restaurant in Piazza di Spagna - one of the most popular squares in Rome, right next to the Spanish Embassy and the Spanish Steps, an iconic place loved not only by tourists but also and directors (Roman Holiday directed by William Wyler; cast: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn). A popular restaurant serving fast food was the opposite of the Italian model of eating, celebrating meals with family and friends, long siestas, but also the quality and, finally, sublime flavors of local cuisine.

The promoted and nurtured slow food trend very quickly translated into other areas of life, creating a trend globally known as slow life. Right behind it came Cittaslow, i.e. slow cities, or the vision of a slow planet proposed by The World Institute from Slowness. In 2004, Carl Honore conducted research aimed at introducing the slow movement in every area of ​​human life, which resulted in the slow movement. slow motion , as a form of cultural revolution, opposing the view that faster is always better, but it is not opposed to progress. What distinguishes it from the false perception of it as retrogression is, above all, high awareness and sustainable development!

The Slow movement is based on the conscious fulfillment of the basic needs of every person, which are unchanged even in the perspective of technological development. The measure becomes quality, not quantity, and the goal is to meet needs such as mutual respect, appreciation of the other person, ensuring a sense of belonging and closeness, love and care, unlimited development while respecting the environment and moral and social principles. The Slow trend also means consciously making sustainable decisions that will be a consensus between meeting higher needs while minimizing the consequences

Slow fashion

Slow fashion , like slow food or slow life, stands in opposition to mass production of clothing. The slow fashion trend is a challenge for the world of fashion, not only for large fashion houses whose clothing is generally exclusive and mass production leads to commonness and uniformity, but also for chain and local brands whose interests often focus on quick production and constant delivery. goods to their customers. Slow fashion assumes, above all, a change in thinking about production and consumption. It shifts the burden of production strategy from quantity to quality, often at the expense of mass scale, although this is not excluded. Additionally, slow fashion is not only a departure from mass appeal and mediocrity, but also a move towards ethical production, in line with nature and respect for human rights. These are very important foundations of this trend, due to the fashion business and constantly current topics regarding the exploitation of factory workers in Third World countries.

Slow fashion wardrobe

Now that you know what nut slow fashion is, it's worth taking a look at your wardrobe and assessing for yourself whether everything in your wardrobe is of good quality, when was the last time you wore something and whether you should buy another pair of jeans and a white T-shirt is necessary.

A slow fashion wardrobe can be rich, the trend itself does not impose the minimization of the number of clothes, although one of its rules clearly states that our wardrobe should only contain things that are necessary for everyday use. This is why, along with slow fashion, a minimalist wardrobe has become so popular. Minimalist does not mean that it is forcibly limited, but tailored to our needs and contains everything that will allow us to look stylish, fashionable and neat every day.

Below are some slow fashion rules that will help you analyze your wardrobe and choose everything you really need.

Our wardrobe, or at least what we take out of it every day, is what visually presents our personality or a certain affiliation - social or professional. It's hard to expect a corporate employee of a large financial company to wear a colorful T-shirt and worn-out jeans to work. There are areas in our lives that impose a specific dress code on us, which is hard to argue with. However, even in such a specific segment, slow fashion works perfectly. Instead of a dozen or so low-quality shirts, choose those made of high-quality cotton. Importantly, organic cotton, produced on cotton plantations without the use of chemicals or growth stimulants, collected by people, respecting their hard work, should be the basis of every elegantly dressed man and woman's wardrobe.

Likewise jackets and suits. We choose those of higher quality, made of wool and cut appropriate to the situation. Just a dozen or so years ago, our parents or grandparents had two or three sets of clothes in their wardrobes - an outfit for work and an outfit to wear at home. It is worth considering this when going spontaneously shopping for clothes. Buy consciously. If, while reviewing your wardrobe, you discover that your collection of white T-shirts exceeds 5 pieces and you prefer dark colors on a daily basis, do not buy another one.

When going shopping, choose higher quality products, just like you do when choosing products for dinner. Pay attention to the composition of clothing and its origin. Don't forget who you are and what is most important to you. Make decisions consciously, according to your own taste and needs.

High quality products are the basis for a long-term investment, but we will quickly decide to replace a piece of clothing if we do not take proper care of it. Delicate materials should be properly stored to maintain their impeccable appearance and shape, and their daily care - washing or ironing - should be performed. according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Delicate materials cannot easily be washed with thick jeans, and high temperatures when washing bedding or underwear may negatively affect the shape of a cotton blouse made of a light weave.

Slow fashion is in harmony with recycling and various types of processing. We can sell, give away, or process old clothes that we no longer wear, feel bad in, or are not entirely satisfied with, into other textile products.

A minimalist's wardrobe, something that cannot be missing in your wardrobe so that you always feel confident

A minimalistically designed wardrobe is, above all, well-thought-out. We rarely choose spontaneous accessories, on the spur of the moment, on a tempting promotion or in a bad mood. High awareness of our own character, style, budget and even storage space has a key impact on the shape of our wardrobe. A minimalist wardrobe based on the principles of slow fashion is often called a capsule wardrobe.

A capsule wardrobe must include an appropriate base, tailored to our daily duties, a set of dress clothes - in the case of women, a little black dress, which will be perfect for any occasion requiring an elegant look, and a light dress, perfect for a wedding or a romantic summer dinner. A capsule wardrobe for a modern woman or man is best suited to the casual style - it includes well-fitting jeans, a cotton T-shirt and a jacket . The entire styling changes its character depending on the accessories. We wrote more about casual and smart casual style in our last article.

Below we present perfect clothing sets, designed in accordance with the principles of slow fashion, from the collections of leading producers for whom sustainable development and investment in the highest quality are the core of the brand's existence in the clothing sector.

July 12, 2023