There has been a recent shift in the way that people think about clothing. More and more people are interested in sustainable and ethical clothing options. Sustainable fashion is one where the clothes can be recycled and used for longer periods of time. These clothes aren’t based on trends that only stay for a short period of time.
This means that the clothes are made using materials that can be recycled or reused, and they are produced in a way that does not damage the environment. Ethical fashion refers to clothing that is made in factories where workers are treated fairly and paid a living wage.
What is Fast Clothing?
Fast clothing or fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand. The goal of fast clothing is just to produce it fast, to get the newest styles on the market as fast as possible, so shoppers can snap them up while they are still at the height of their popularity. However, cheap and mass-produced clothing does not have the best quality, so they are not meant to be worn more than a few times.
Read More : Sustainability in Fashion We Need to Know About.
The Other Side of Fast Clothing
Although fast clothing sounds like an ideal way to purchase clothing, it is harmful both environmentally and ethically. However, it is a powerful industry, one that produces 100 billion items of clothing per year.
According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, fast clothing is responsible for 2-8% of the entire world’s carbon emissions. The biggest issue with fast clothing is waste. Because fast clothing keeps up with ever-changing trends, leading to productions of poor quality clothing that is not meant to last, consumers only wear a clothing item a few times before throwing it away.
On the ethical side, factory workers for fast fashion companies are often subject to less than livable wages. Because the cost of the clothing is so cheap to sell, workers often make a fraction of that price, leading to many of them living below the poverty line. In some cases around the world, major fast-clothing corporations have been accused of providing inhumane work environments for their employees.
What is Slow Clothing?
Slow clothing or slow fashion is clothing that is produced with a focus on being environmentally friendly. Unlike fast clothing, slow clothing focuses more on ethics as well as the environment. On the other hand, refers to clothing that is made in a way that is environmentally friendly and socially responsible. Ethical clothing brands prioritize sustainability, fair labor practices, and transparency in their supply chain. Ethical clothing brands may use eco-friendly materials, pay their workers a living wage, and prioritize the well-being of the people and communities they work with.
The Future Growth of Slow Clothing
The future for slow clothing looks bright. In 2009, New York Fashion Week hosted its first-ever Eco Fashion Week. Since then, sustainable fashion weeks have popped up all over the world, even spreading to the regular fashion weeks in London, Milan, and other major cities. According to a report by The Business Research Company, sustainable and ethical fashion is expected to grow to $9,808.5 million in 2025. That means businesses like Oliberté, the world’s first Fair Trade Certified™ footwear factory, will continue to grow in both profit and popularity.
Fast Vs Slow Clothing: The Key Differences
Ethics
The production of fast clothing uses many harmful materials and emits a lot of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere, slow clothing companies work with sustainable materials and look at the entire life cycle of their products.
Cost
Ethical clothing companies ensure that the supply chain follows ethical work guidelines and pays employees fair wages. In contrast, fast fashion stores rely on cheap labor overseas, which means they can provide their customers with clothes at low prices.
Quality
Fast clothing companies churn out new clothes each season and often use cheap materials that cannot be reused. In contrast, slow clothing brands use high-quality materials and ensure that their clothes can be recycled or repurposed at the end of their life cycle.
Materials
Due to the cheap materials used by fast clothing companies, their clothes are cheaper than slow clothing garments.
Information
Fast clothing companies don’t tend to share any information about where their clothes come from or how they impact the environment. Slow clothing brands, however, educate their customers with this type of knowledge.
Accessibility
Fast clothing is much more accessible to the average shopper, whereas the slow clothing movement is slightly more exclusive.
Slow Clothing: A Sustainable Alternative
The future of fashion is moving towards sustainable and ethical clothing. More and more people are interested in buying clothes that are good for the environment and that are made in a way that is fair to workers. Sustainable fashion is no longer a niche market, and it is becoming more mainstream every day.
If you are looking for sustainable fashion options, there are many great brands to choose from. One of the example is XSML fashion brand, some of clothes used organic cotton, one of tne most environmentally friendly material. It does not have a harsh manufacturing process, uses less energy, releases fewer greenhouse gases, and also saved a fantastic amount gallons of water!
Just remember that the future of fashion is all about sustainability!
References:
- https://www.oliberte.com/pages/fast-fashion-vs-sustainable-fashion/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20in%20fast,fewer%20carbon%20emissions%20during%20production.
- https://babybeloved.ie/sustainable-and-ethical-clothing-vs-fast-fashion-clothing/
- https://www.humbleunique.com/en/blog/ethical-fashion-vs-fast-fashion
- https://goodonyou.eco/what-is-fast-fashion/
- https://www.theplainsimplelife.com/fast-fashion-vs-slow-fashion/
