As the mom of a pre-teen, I am already beginning to sense the growing role that fashion will probably take on in her life. With glossy fashion magazines in abundance at most every grocery store checkout, in addition to radio, TV and Internet ads—not to mention the influence of her peers—the apparel industry has me more than a little intrigued. I’ve read stories of sweatshops in far-off countries, where children are exploited and wages are low. I’ve experienced poor-quality clothing that comes unraveled in the first wash. I’m discovering, too, that the manufacturing process of some types of fabric and materials is heavily reliant on toxic chemicals. All of this causes me to wonder—what healthy fashion habits and strategies can I embrace now that can impact my daughter’s choices as she matures?
In researching this area I’ve come across the idea of slow fashion, which I find interesting.
The website abitslow.wordpress.com puts it this way, “Based on the principles of the Slow Food Movement [slow fashion] is similarly an alternative to the fast, mass-produced, consumed and disposed. We see it as the sustainable future of the fashion industry.”
Examples of slow fashion include:
In our fast-paced world, I like the idea of slowing down a little. Making fashion choices that are more sustainable is a good thing to teach my daughter as well as my son, and it’s good for our planet, too. Additionally, I find that some of the slow-fashion styles are also very attractive as well as more Earth-friendly. I think they will like that.
I hope to blog more about the clothing industry in the coming weeks. Until then, I’d love know your thoughts about slow fashion. Just drop us a line in the comment section below!
World Wetlands DayResources
Huffington Post: Clothing Labels List Sweatshop Atrocities So Buyers Will Shop More Consciously
Fair Trade USA: Apparel and Home Goods Program
Earth Pledge: FutureFashion
A Bit Slow: Slow Fashion 101
Love this! My friend from College does exactly this with what she calls a “farm to product” practice. Check her out!! http://www.blueridgestitches.com or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResponsibleWares/
Sweet! I just added her to my favorites in etsy
Thanks for sharing, Carrie! Your friend has some beautiful–and earth friendly–things!!
In an effort to help my kids value their purchases, we have set up a monthly allowance that they use to pay for their entertainment and for treating themselves to an evening or lunch 8ut with friends. It has made a huge impact on their clothing choices too. We provide the basics, but if they want a particular piece of clothing it’s up to them to make the purchase. This has dramatically lessened the clothes or shoes that sit unworn, in closets. Our community has a couple of second hand stores and my daughter calls it “treasure hunting”. She has often scored some great pieces at some fabulous prices. I enjoy it too!
Just tonight I was trying to explain to my 10 year old about companies outsourcing to third world countries where there are no safety regulations, child work-labor laws, and how items are marked up significantly as quality goes down. She thought my veiw was absurd. It just reminded me that I need to be more diligent in educating my children about the ways of the world, as they have so many cloudy influences from media, tv and social influences. I love thrift store shopping as a point to reduce consumption! Thanks for the post.
Kristina, thanks for sharing and for being a part of the Movement to make small, conscious choices for a more sustainable planet.
I love the idea! And I love hand-me-downs and second-hand. I read a quote the other day by a small child that read something to the extend of “I love my older sister for giving me all her old clothes so I don’t have to go to the store and buy new ones.” Yes!
I just wish fairly traded clothes were more commonly accessible.
Looking forward to more blog posts about this issue. Thanks!
great article – thanks for sharing!
I love finding clothing at thrift and second hand stores! Most of my clothing, and my kids clothing, is found at these stores. I am very interesting in the “slow clothing” idea and would love to see more information on where to find clothing made from recycled plastic!
That sounds like an excellent topic, Amy. Thanks for suggesting it!
I’m trying to weed out my closet with just things I need that can be interchangeable to make a different outfit instead of buying more. It’s a work in progress.
I really like and appreciate your blog post.Thanks Again.
I would love to shop green for clothing but I have found that it is beyond expensive. I could not find a cotton white shirt for under like 30 bucks. If you could write an article about places to go and maybe some more affordable alternatives would be nice.
What a cool concept!
I try to keep my two teenage daughter’s away from stores like Forever 21 which is considered a “Fast Fashion” store and teach them that it is better to own a few nice quality outfits than a bunch of clothes you might never wear.