Top 10 Ways to Creatively Implement Slow Fashion

Slow Fashion vs Fast Fashion 

Slow fashion is the fuel for the fashion industry’s future. In contrast to fast fashion that produces cheap, trendy styles of clothing inspired by celebrity culture, slow fashion reflects a more wholesome and eco-friendly fashion experience. With fast fashion apps like Temu, Shein, TopShop, UNIQLO, Cider and many more gaining momentum amongst the consumers, it is vital for slow and sustainable fashion to incorporate creative designs to make it work. 

The slow fashion movement advocates for clothing and apparel producers to consider the environment.

How much do you as a consumer think about the environment? 

Maybe not so much, this is because fast fashion is very appealing to our eyes but equally destructive for nature. Hence, it is about time that designers quit the idea of pure minimalism and start embracing tempting cuts and enticing designs for creating sustainable fashion. 

Here are top 10 ways to creatively include slow fashion

1. Use Renewable Raw Materials

Renewable is a term that is often associated with anything that is considered eco-friendly. This is because renewable materials for slow fashion are opposed to fossil fuel derived materials. Some examples of this are: cotton, silk, wood, wool, bamboo, and many more.

Cotton, silk, and wool are weather friendly fabrics and can be used to create a fashionable and trendy ensemble. Bamboo can be used by reducing it to smaller strips for embroidery or embossed designs. Using renewable material will help in minimizing waste and innovating new designs.

2. Going for Sustainable Leather 

Sustainable leather is basically a byproduct of the farming and agriculture industry. It gains the sustainability mark because it does not harm any animals in the process of production. Pinatex Leather, vegan Cork Leather, Mushroom Leather and Leaf Leather are some of its types. In pop culture and otherwise, leather is viewed as a bold fabric that can generate powerful and intimidating clothes. Moreover, leather is great for winters and cold weather. Furthermore, leather use is not limited to the creation of clothes, but it can also be used to create accessories like shoes and handbags. 

3. Producing Unisex Designs

This is a relatively newer concept for the fashion market. The idea behind creating unisex clothes is to support the preservation of clothes and use them for longer. These clothes also have a generational value and can end up becoming family heirlooms. Unisex fashion includes clothing styles with pants, shirts, jackets, tunics, suits, or something else. Slow fashion brands such as YUK FUN, Not Equal, One DNA, and Sarah Bijoux have created unisex clothing lines. These are great brands to draw inspiration from. 

4. Using Vintage for Slow Fashion

Vintage clothes sound like they are out of a fairytale, worn and loved by someone before us. One of the major benefits of choosing vintage for slow fashion is its un-challenged eco-friendly status. Using vintage pieces of clothes and accessories helps in reducing the carbon emissions and in preserving water and energy resources. Incorporating vintage laces, borders, materials, or sleeves can add value to the craftsmanship of your original work. 

5. Create a Clothing Line Out of Leftovers

While sewing on the machine or while cutting out extra fabric, designers are always left with a room full of leftover pieces. It is often a full day’s work to clean the mess! However, designers can reuse these leftover fabrics and repurpose them into an entirely new clothing line. This will not only prevent wastage but also provide you with a creative line of work.

6. Up-cycle Old Dresses

Up-cycling refers to using materials to create something of higher value than before. It is like repurposing, there are great environmental benefits to up-cycling. It promotes the prevention of landfills every year. It also helps in the reduction of air pollution, water shortage, and restricts the emission of greenhouse gases. Up-cycling can also lead designers to a pathway of creativity where they can discover new trends for consumers. Up-cycling gives designers a blank canvas for them to paint and innovate.

7. Use Block Printing Methods

Block printing was introduced to the world by the Chippa Community from Rajasthan, India. This ancient and skilled art is passed down through generations and is used widely to produce clothes for slow fashion. Ajrakh, Kalamkari, Sanganeri and Bagru are some of its types. This traditional type of painting reduces the wastage of water thus making it a slow and sustainable process. It is however a labor-intensive process and requires attention to detail. The clothes created from it are extremely appealing and fresh.

8. Handmade or Handlooms

Handloom is a type of sustainable textile weaving process. It does not need any energy or electricity. It has its origin in the Indus Valley Civilization, and it creates unique and gentle hand-woven fabrics. The nature of the fabric makes it long lasting and wearable through generations.

9. Kantha

Kantha is another example of ancient Indian style of sewing. The shapes in the Kantha embroidery are formed using looping threads only on one surface. A simple running stitch is visible on one side while the other side is composed of geometric designs. Kantha is only used on fabrics that are supposed to be repurposed. Old clothes are used for kantha embroidery to design quilts and pillowcases. Thus, reducing the wastage of energy, water and soil pollution.

10. Natural dye

India as a civilization has contributed with remarkable innovations in textile. Natural dyes are another invention of India that gave a boost to the fashion industry. Indigo, Turmeric, Henna, Marigold, Safflower, Madder, Sumac, Sappanwood, Acer, Pomegranate, Haritaki, Acacia bark, Aal, Chay root, Lac insects, and many more are examples of natural dyes. These not only provide an organic and vibrant colour but also are very long-lasting. Natural dyes are sustainable as they don’t contain chemicals. Hence, when clothes with natural dyes are discarded, they do not release harmful chemicals in soil consequently preserving the ecosystem.

Slow fashion is not impossible, it requires dedication towards the environment on the part of both designers and consumers. All we can do is play our part with accountability and responsibility in this ecosystem.