Slow Fashion: Defined

Image courtesy of: i.treehugger.com

Slow Fashion, as defined by brittanica.com, is:

Slow fashion is about designing, producing, consuming and living better. Slow fashion is not time-based but quality-based (which has some time components). Slow is not the opposite of fast -- there is no dualism -- but a different approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems.

Simply put, it's about caring not just what looks good, but embracing the concept of quality versus quantity, and most of all, being aware of how the behind process of manufacturing fashion impacts all of us. (Very beauty pageant-ish, no? Just kidding)

Most of us, especially here in the Philippines (where we'd rather be practical and use our hard earned money for rent and food) would rather shell out money for fast fashion. Think of cheap, almost transparent, and poorly made clothes from Divisoria (no, i'm not a snob). Growing up in Tondo, I saw how women would buy 150-peso shirts that would have threads unravelling and buttons popping out after a couple of wash.

Good thing that my Nanay loves thrift shopping. I would often get asked for clothes that would looks like I spent a thousand pesos on (nope, i won't buy clothes more than 500 pesos), but in fact came from local thrift shops (ukay) or hand me downs.

So, it's no wonder that I turn to thrift stores for my fashion fix as well. Going for the Zooey Deschanel look was hard though since most vintage pieces won't fit. But fabric and pattern wise, I'd rather go for a ginormous dress from an ukay than those cheap fabrics sourced from China based sweatshops.

That's not just economical, but handsewing everything assures me that every garment I make, not just for myself, is of high quality. I make sure that the clothes I create make use of little or no new fabric at all, to reduce the ongoing carbon footprint we are amassing thru factories and everyday consumption.