Well, I have a new discovery.. Its called the "Slow Clothes Movement"... Its something akin to the Slow Food movement, where people actually buy raw ingredients and make food for themselves, rather than buying so called "fast food".. So slow clothes??
To be honest I just see clothes as clothes, the things that you wear to cover your rude bits, to keep you warm and to generally make a statement about who you are... So shall we define Fast clothes??
Apparently the difference between "clothes" and "slow clothes" is down to the way its produced, or purchased.. If you buy cheap mass produced clothing from High Street stores, technically its Fast Clothes... the stuff that you wear once then give away, or throw in the back of the wardrobe forever, knowing that it wasn't that well made, and quite frankly will fall to bits, bobble like crazy and will generally be a bit rubbish. So with that in mind, comes "Slow Clothing"... Whereby its better quality, produced ethically, out of better quality materials and will last longer (one hopes).
Slow clothing is basically anything that is "Fair Trade" (I can see a dozen dancing hippies singing "We told you so".... ). If its fairly traded, it means the manufacturers got a decent price for the garment, according to their economy and they've been able to reinvest in their own economies and been able to afford sustainable housing, food, etc.. while we in the West sit smugly and feel like we've done a good thing (Which we have). As someone who already purchases the odd Fair Trade item, I feel a smug sense of satisfaction that I'm actually doing some good... 1 Slow Clothing Brownie point to me..
Slow Clothing is also clothes that have a story, they have history. That doesn't mean they're carrying a whole heap of emotional baggage "I wasn't loved, so I was taken to the Charity Shop", rather they might be better quality items, that were sitting in the wardrobe not being worn, so their kind owners handed them over to the Charity Shop. Now, as any of you who know me well, know that I prefer Charity Shops to regular shops, why?? Because you never know what you're going to get in a Charity Shop.. its completely random. Rather than pay £25 for a pair of jeans, I pick up a couple of pairs, for say £3 each.. I get funky jeans, that are perfectly suitable for wearing.. and I give money to a good cause too.. All round win! 1 Slow Clothing Brownie point to me...
With regard to clothing having a history, there's the recent resurgence in "Vintage" clothes... OMG, I mean, seriously... Vintage shops, vintage markets, the plethora of recycling that's going on in the name of "vintage" is simply wonderful, as an antithesis to regular fashion, people are raiding their grandparents wardrobes and making a style of their own,. Obviously a follow on from such fashionistas as Kate Moss and Sienna Miller (where's she these days??).. with their "Boho" inspired looks... It started an upsurge in recycling old clothes and calling it "vintage".. Once upon a time you couldn't give away a 1970's style mustard yellow crimplene jumpsuit, whereas today, some trendy Urban uber-babe will sport it with a fake 1950's fur coat, stilettos and a plethora of chunky jewellery.. making the style her own.. As someone who has always struggle to fit into vintage fashion.. Its mainly for the more slender amongst us.. I have, however, found a few pieces that are just delightful.. and I had to have them, I've helped out small business and I feel good about that too... 1 Slow Clothing Brownie point to me...
Slow Clothing also includes handmade.. so the sitting and making of clothes, or up cycling old clothes is also "Slow Clothing".. So here is all the hand knit jumpers from granny, the crocheted scarf you've been unpicking for weeks because the pattern is written in some strange Coptic text and the hand sewn, carefully deconstructed and reconstructed creations... I create myself from this section, part of my business Ananassa Multimedia is based around these concepts (note to self, upgrade the website and use relatively newly coined term in all advertising from now on!). Handmade, quality, something different than the High Street... Being a trend setter, rather than following the in-crowd.. Making a difference. The joy that comes from making something yourself, or upcycling something into something more useful is simply delightful.. It gives a sense of real satisfaction and confidence, the "I'm wearing something that NOBODY else has got!".. When you wear something handmade, then amount of people who ask "Where did you get that from??!"..is simply astounding. So, I think 2 Slow Clothing Brownie points to me..
So, when you're rethinking your wardrobe, or are out and about and looking for something "new" to wear, consider "Slow Clothing"... I've been doing it for years, only I called it "Being too hard up to afford clothes in shops, so am making do, mending, buying from charity shops and second hand and making my own style"... you know it makes sense.
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