Why Slow-Fashion?
Slow Fashion, a current topic we hear more and more often. A movement that describes the opposite of fast-fashion and aims to bring a radical change in the fashion industry. A complex subject, that still has a long way to go and many challenges to overcome, but to which (fortunately) more and more people are committing to.
It is with this premise that we start a series of articles dedicated to the fashion industry. We will consider its different aspects, to tell you about sustainable fashion and its benefits. We don’t consider ourselves experts on this matter and we are aware there is always more to learn, but we would like to share with you what we have learnt so far and take you on a journey of research and re-discovery of the world of fashion.
How did we discover and begin to talk and make slow-fashion?
Fashion has always been part of our journey since we were young. It may seem like a cliché, but growing up in Italy – where fashion represents a tradition – the choice of what to wear (whether unconsciously or not) and fashion trends are quite important. Moreover, we have always been exposed to the art of sewing – never to a professional level of course – but we are aware of the expertise and effort that go into it.
Then one day, not long ago, we decided to embark on a new adventure and experience firsthand what it means to start a fashion brand.
The first thing we learned was that fashion is not as beautiful as we had always imagined. It seems to us that somewhere along the way the expertise and effort that go into making clothes have unfortunately lost their value. Why, you may wonder?
Let’s start with the fact that the fashion industry has a huge environmental, economic and social impact. The fashion industry is in fact very profitable, employing millions of people and it is considered to be one of the most polluting sectors. Every step leading to the creation of a garment – the production of fibres and fabrics, the design and production of clothes, their distribution and life cycle – plays an important role in the impact fashion has on the environment and people. Unfortunately, this impact has been neglected for years, and we are now left with a fashion system that is destroying our planet.
On the other hand, slow fashion aims at “the promotion of change in the fashion system towards a greater ecological integrity and social justice”. A process that is committed to respecting the environment and societies. A system that is based on values we believe in and through which we can take concrete actions to contribute to a change. This is why we have decided to start our sustainable brand, carefully and consciously following steps that led us to the creation of our first dresses.
How do you recognise a sustainable dress?
The first step for us was choosing the right fabrics. The textile industry has a huge environmental impact, from high water consumption, water and air pollution to production of high quantities of waste that end up in landfills everyday. Moreover, there is the social aspect. Research on the textile industry, such as a survey conducted by the Fashion Revolution movement, has brought to life an alarming truth, such as exploitation of workers and bad working conditions. For this reason, choosing fabrics produced following eco-friendly processes and in safe and ethical working conditions is a priority for us. But how can we know if a fabric has these characteristics?
Well, certifications are definitely important. Certifications are issued following a set of rules to control how fabrics are made – from the raw materials used, the working conditions, the semi-finished products to the final product. OEKO-TEX, Global Organic Standard, TencelTM and so on, are some of the certifications that allow us to understand the sustainable characteristics of a fabric. For instance, TencelTM fibres that we use to make some of our dresses, is the name of a type of lyocell produced by the Austrian company Lenzing. A semi-synthetic fibre made with eucalyptus tree wood pulp from sustainably managed forests. The manufacturing of this fibre requires very little water and energy and it is produced with a “closed loop system” that allows the recycling of over 99 percent of the solvent that can be reused over and over again.
Starting from the materials we used, our work is therefore aimed at the creation of dresses that can really reflect a change towards a more sustainable fashion. A beginning of that eco-friendly fashion revolution that we do not only want to share with our readers but concretely make you wear.
