Slow Clothing vs Fast Fashion

You might have heard the term 'Slow Clothing' cropping up here and there in conversations. Let me tell you a bit about what slow clothing is. To do this, I find it easier to first explain 'Fast Fashion'.

Fast fashion refers to clothing that is made in factories in large volumes (by the thousands), made cheaply and without regard for the workers or the environment they work in. At the same time, quality is sacrificed because of the ever-increasing drive to make clothing as cheaply as possible. As a result, we've become accustomed to buying cheap clothing that doesn't last. If we can purchase something so cheaply and replace it so easily, what incentive is there to value and care for something that is so disposable?

On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1100+ people. It was known by both management and the workers that the factory was structurally faulty but the workers were ordered back to work. The scale and volume of destruction of human lives (mostly young women) marked a turning point in how the developed world began to view and think about the connection between the clothing they wear and the people who make it.  

It was this event that spawned the FASHION REVOLUTION movement, a revolution to replace Fast Fashion with Slow Clothing. In contrast to Fast Fashion, Slow Clothing values quality, the people who make the garments and the environment. It's about being intentional and conscious about the impact our choices have.

Our mission at Kathleen O'Grady Design is to make beautiful, wearable clothing for women with the purpose of rekindling our love of Slow Clothing. We make our garments in small batches using natural fabrics. We partner with small production facilities in Canada and skilled textile artisans in India. We look forward to sharing more stories with you about Slow Clothing in future blog postings.