You’ve probably heard of the term fast-fashion, but do you know what slow-fashion is? Whereas fast-fashion is rooted in cost-efficiency, maximization of laboral resources and rapid production, slow-fashion is the opposite. Slow fashion consists of using natural fibers, providing a fair wage and laboral facility and a humane production system.
H&M, Zara, Forever 21 and Fashion Nova are all recognizable fast-fashion brands. Can you name four ethical fashion brands? We are currently living on an on demand society where consumers are used to instant gratification. However, the consecuences of these behaviours can be even deadly. Fast-fashion relies on quick garnment production in order to fulfill the consumers’ demand. This implies that the workers have to work quickly and use easily findable materials, which leads to two major issues. The first one is that workers are exploited; most of the brands that cater to this form of production have sweatshops in countries where there are much less laws that protect laborers and are not kept in the best conditions. A tragic example of sad outcome that can result from this is the Bangladesh factory collapse that fell under this category. The factory was overpacked with machinery and workers that exceeded the buildings limitations in order to comply with the demand, yet it fell apart leaving over 1,000 workers dead. Another negative impact fast-fashion can have is contributing to global warming. The fashion industry is the second-most polluting in the world. Part of it due to the excess buying of garnments from consumers, from the usage of poorly compostable fabrics and lack of recycling. The fabrics used are popular due to their cheap adquisition cost, yet are of poor quality and take a long time to decompose, such as cotton is.
Slow fashion is the alternative to fast fashion. Slow fashion abides by the Fair Trade principles that look for providing a just environment for laborers from every industry, using natural fibers that decompose easier and is recognized by it’s timeless style. While most fast fashion pieces are created so that they instantly cater to emerging trends, slow fashion designers are recognized for creating pieces that withstand the test of time and trends. Slow fashion is much more ethical than fast fashion in every sense. The fabrics used in slow fashion seek to reduce their impact in the environment as much as possible; these include the use of natural fibers. Also, the creation of these pieces are assured to be just in every step of the production process. An important factor in the rise to fast fashion has been it’s cheap prices. When a clothing piece comes very cheap to the consumer, it costs the producers something. It may be the quality of the piece, the money spent on paying adequately their workers, or something else. Slow fashion tends to be a bit higher priced than fast fashion pieces, but keep in mind, these pieces are assured to be of the best quality and be made ethically. This poses a moral question to the consumer, would they rather pay cheap prices for a garnment that implies so much harm or a higher price for the assurance of a proper production?
In Puerto Rico, there are various designers that comply with slow fashion guidelines. Some of these are Yayi, Marimu, Isleñas, Knot Predictable, Agnes Anna and Sally Torres Vega, amongst many more. In Puerto Rico, we have a saying that goes “El que busca, encuentra”, which translates to “whoever searches, will find”. After learning a bit more about slow fashion, I encourage you to search for slow fashion designers close to where you reside or look up ethical fashion brands. A change in one consumer’s habits can spark a chain reaction and hopefully better the industry as a whole.
La Elixiere 