An Essay about Slow Fashion and Change

 As I sit here with a bum leg, stuck on the couch watching the inauguration of our next President and the chaos that has ensued since, I have felt overcome with emotion on how little I do for our country and our world. I always thought that at some point there would be a cause that would inspire me to give back, but I have felt that nothing would be genuine or impactful coming from me. I have a bit of insecurity when it comes to political and social change. While I have passionate feelings about social, financial and environmental injustices, I have never ever wanted to impose my belief system on others.

I grew up learning to have my own opinion, but I quickly learned that my own opinion is often at a stark contrast to those around me. Still to this day I have a hard time discussing certain political and social viewpoints of mine because I am not liberal or conservative. I have opinions that would put me in both camps, which is why I have often kept out of political marches and signing up for different volunteer opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, I love a political discussion, but too often I feel as if I am ’not liberal enough’ or ’not conservative enough’ to fit into any of these groups.

Still, this wave of helplessness crashed over me during this inauguration, and I sat thinking about I WAS an expert in. Well, I am an expert in fashion. No, I’m not Mickey Drexler, but over 10 years I have sat in a unique position of learning how the fashion world works; I have worked as a merchant, buyer and planner for affordable fashion companies (Gap, Old Navy) to luxury companies (The Outnet, Coach). I design myself and therefore know how a garment is manufactured in production, and I know how much money and margin is taken at the register when you buy an item at full or markdown price. I know how many boats, trains and planes it took to get that item to you. I know that price is not always what it seems.

What’s my point? I sit in a difficult position of being a fashion blogger, where my main goal is to bring exciting fashion and style inspiration to you every day, but also as a consumer who is well aware of the impact my fashion gluttonism has made on the world. I have a closet full of clothing that I love, but also know that I need to cut back. Why do I need to cut back? For financial reasons, for one. Also, for space. And the most important reason is because of the impact ‘fast fashion’ and our excessive shopping habits have caused to this planet. Therefore I feel it is my responsibility to use my voice and experience to make a change in this world involving the clothing industry. Even though I might be scared to use my voice as it may dissent from others in this space, I am prepared to do so in the defense, and possibly reinvention, of ‘slow fashion’.

Did you know that the clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world, second only to oil? Typing that makes me cringe. Here I am thinking I am being creative, expressing my originality and supporting ‘wearable art’, but in fact we are contributing to one of the largest environmental disasters caused by humans. When we think of pollutants, we think of gas emissions, coal power and toxic sewage, not that cute skirt you just bought. The more I learn the more sick it makes me, yet even though I have been reading more and more about this, the addiction to shopping, to expressing myself through my style, to solving boredom, inevitably overwhelms me and I am back again shopping.

You have heard of the ‘slow food’ movement. It started as a grassroots idea but has spread worldwide into a concept of local and sustainable farming, eating only what is in-season, utilizing the entire plant or animal, and replacing what you took. However, you might not have heard about ‘slow fashion’. It is a similar zero-waste idea in which the ideas of designing, creating and buying fashion are for quality and longevity, and in the end, buying less.

I support the idea of slow fashion, but find it very difficult to adhere to for many reasons. I could go on and on about this-as I will in another post-but here are the highlights

• Expensive does not mean good quality or ethically produced.
• Inexpensive does not mean poor quality or unethically produced.
• Organic and sustainable clothing brands currently tend to offer muted color palettes, and lack of intricate pattern techniques or innovative design (i.e. plain button down shirts, pullover sweaters, khaki pants). I disagree with the idea of sacrificing individual style and creativity (so sue me!)
• Capsule wardrobes are boring. Are we in Mao-era China?
• Regulation on what is ‘sustainable’ ‘organic’ and ‘eco-friendly’ is still nonexistent or arbitrary in many categories, including fashion and food.

Ok, Stefanie, get back to the point. What am I going to do about it? I am going to commit to my own new form of slow fashion. It may mean something different to me than it does for others, but here it is:

What I Will Do:

I will buy limit myself to 8 clothing and accessory items a month.

This seems obvious, but will end up making the biggest immediate impact to my wallet, closet, and the waste that has built up in this world. I realize that 8 may seem easy to you, but how do you think I keep supporting this blog? For the record, I bought 15 in January 2017, including socks. Think about the impact we would have on the clothing manufacturers and the environment if we all bought even 10 less items this year. What a huge statement that would make! This will ensure that I am thoughtful about each purchase, and that I learn to plan ahead. I will post what I bought each month as a recap, and why I bought each piece which will hopefully help you understand my thought process and inform your own sartorial choices. Plus, it will keep me accountable, and after achieving this goal successfully for a few months, I aim to get the number down even further.

I will design and sew clothing myself

Sewing projects yourself ensures better fit (therefore not always looking for the perfect fit pant), and avoids fair-trade and ethics issues regarding conditions in factories. I aim to make more fashionable items that are made well and that I really love, instead of rushing through projects to complete in a quick time frame. If you rush, you cut corners, and then you never will want to wear that item again!

I will support more ethically produced brands

Let’s be clear, I may not completely walk away from Zara and ASOS for my statement pieces, but where I can buy sustainably, I will. I believe that not everyone, including myself, has the financial means to buy sustainable and organic, so I cannot completely push an ethos that is unachievable.

I will repair, mend, or tailor items before considering throwing away or re-selling.

Giving my clothing a second life with a fresh hem, embellishments or a quick mending will lengthen the life of my wardrobe, and hopefully inspire you to do the same.

What I Will Not Do:

I will not refuse to wear clothing/home decor/styling items that are given to me

This blog is meant to inspire all parts of your life, and I will not turn it strictly into minimalism propaganda

I will not sacrifice style

Obviously.

I will not limit my blog posts to slow fashion and sustainable ways of life.

We are all multi-faceted people, and I cannot and will not claim to be one kind of person. I still want to cover personal style, home decor, travel and fitness, but I will also be doing my small part to make a difference as well.

I’m sure slow fashion purists will disagree with my approach, but I think that just like fad diets, doing anything cold turkey is not a sustainable (see what I did there?) way to progress. In the end, the hope is that by making small changes and increasingly bigger and bigger commitments each month, myself, and those who join me will be able to fend off this addictive shopping habit and lessen the impact the clothing industry makes on this planet. Who is with me?