Slow fashion has been gathering momentum over the years, and for good reason. This eco-friendly form of fashion helps you save the environment, all while looking stylish.
If you're wondering what exactly slow fashion is, and what sites you can use to support the movement, we'll outline that below.
What Is Slow Fashion?
Slow fashion is a concept that centers around sustainable, eco-friendly, and ethical practices. This is in contrast to "fast fashion," which focuses on setting short-lived trends and encourages excessive consumption. Slow fashion businesses take their time to source high-quality and long-lasting products made from sustainable sources.
Slow fashion clothing is typically more expensive, but that is because no corners have been cut. A principle of slow fashion is to treat all workers fairly and ethically. This means that when you buy a slow fashion product, you won't have to worry about whoever made it not getting paid their fair share.
Slow fashion businesses usually have limited stock but that is because each product is meant to be long-lasting and is made from eco-friendly materials that minimally impact the environment. Unlike fast fashion, there is no cost-cutting to mass-produce clothing in order to maximize profit.
Whether you're looking to engage with slow fashion, or you're a keen supporter of sustainable clothing, here are several sites you should check out.
1. High Hope
High Hope features a range of clothing and accessories that display beautiful, nature-orientated images using a "clean and modern form of flat line design."
High Hope's clothing is made from organic cotton, sourced from fair-trade suppliers. It also includes plastic-free packaging. There's a selection of affordable clothing, such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and sweatpants.
High Hope promises to plant a certain number of trees according to what you order, and you can even check back to see how you've made a positive environmental impact. In addition, High Hope has a range of t-shirts and hoodies called Earth Positive. The clothing in this range is made from green renewable energy. As a result, each item of clothing is said to have a 90 percent reduced carbon footprint.
2. Hundred Club
Hundred Club has a selection of tees, sweaters, and hoodies that come with a catch—each delightful design is limited to just 100 pieces.
Every aspect of the design process is carefully considered. This means sourcing the best quality garments from sustainable suppliers, screen printing designs to avoid harmful chemicals, and ditching plastic for recyclable packaging.
Hundred Club's tees are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Fair Wear Foundation certified. Meanwhile, its sweaters and hoodies are Oeko-Tex certified.
Unlike larger manufacturers, Hundred Club communicates with and cares about the people in its close community. This is highlighted in Hundred Club Girls, a section dedicated to the stories behind the people (not just faceless customers) who buy its clothing.
Hundred Club follows an incredibly holistic approach to sustainability and the limited number runs embody that. This lets you get sustainably-produced, high-quality clothing delivered with recyclable packaging, causing zero-waste.
3. No Encore
No Encore brings slow fashion to musicians and music-lovers alike. Its impactful, stylish designs center around the music industry and sustainability. Combining these two worlds is something that No Encore strives to do.
Extensively researched and carefully planned, No Encore creates clothing that brings attention to the harmful and toxic practices of fast fashion, with designs that resonate.
Everything here is eco-friendly, sustainable, cruelty-free, and recyclable. Plus, each person in the creation and delivery process is given fair wages.
Taking this beyond the creation process, No Encore aims at raising the awareness of sustainable practices in the music industry. The brand's creator, a musician and producer herself, hopes that No Encore can spread the message of sustainability within all levels of the music industry.
No Encore's tagline, "The Earth Gets No Encore," acknowledges the sole Earth that we live on, and aims to make our world sustainable for years to come.
4. TALA
TALA's focus is on producing durable, affordable, and high-quality activewear and loungewear. Primarily targeted towards women (with some unisex clothing), TALA's refined designs aim to be inclusive of all body types, something most fast fashion brands carelessly ignore.
TALA's fabrics are made with exercise and movement in mind. These fabrics are designed to be long-lasting, breathable, as well as sustainable. TALA uses high quantities of certified recycled materials, ensuring its carbon footprint is significantly reduced and preventing these fabrics from being needlessly tossed into landfills.
TALA's packaging is fully recyclable, all the way down to its tags, which are filled with seasonal seeds—just plant your tag in soil, add water, and watch it grow into a herb, flower, or spice!
TALA's factories are located in Portugal, Morocco, Turkey, and China. Each factory undergoes regular external audits to make sure they have a safe working environment and ethical labor conditions, highlighting TALA's efforts to improve the ethics of fashion production.
5. Organic Basics
Organic Basics takes huge strides in moving towards a sustainable future. Each facet of Organic Basics, from its clothing to its practices, projects, and funds, is there for you to explore and learn more about being more sustainable. Organic Basics even has a low-impact website, detailing the environmental impact of data transfer.
Organic Basics' practices outline its factories spanning across Europe, as well as the materials it uses to produce long-lasting, recyclable, and high-quality versions of all your basic clothing needs.
Organic Basics acknowledges that the fashion industry is one that often lags behind in sustainable practices, and that going sustainable is the only option when it comes to the future of the fashion industry and beyond.
Making Sustainable Buying Part of Your Lifestyle
Slow fashion is part of something bigger—it's a movement to limit excessive consumption, reduce waste, and respect other people, animals, and the environment.
You can go beyond fashion with this practice and incorporate sustainable living into your lifestyle. Whether it's the sites and apps you browse or the products you buy, there's usually an eco-friendly alternative that might just make all the difference.