Choosing slow style over fast fashion.
I’m almost certain my love affair with fashion was passed down from my mum. She grew up in Cyprus, in a large family, and was a dressmaker in the 1960s with an incredible sense of style. My parents didn’t have much disposable income as I grew up, but it is my mum who always told me it is better to save up and spend money on fewer quality items that will be loved and that will last.
My mum and I (pictured together here in 1982!) frequently talk about a coat dubbed ‘that Reiss coat’ I owned in my 20s
that was purchased on a trip to Bicester Village in circa 2002 (I was the outlet and sample sale queen !).
At the time it seemed scarily over my 23 year old budget. I loved it so much that my mum encouraged me to buy it with my savings and I remember feeling sick as I handed over my card, wondering if I was making the right decision. Her rationale was that a Topshop coat would last me one season but if I loved this coat that much I’d wear it year after year.
She’s a wise women, my mum. I wore ‘that Reiss coat’ for almost ten years before it was sold on eBay ! The famous Reiss coat with the big buttons and gorgeous funnel neck collar.
So now, 20 years later, my mum’s words are ringing in my ears. Fashion has changed so much in the last two decades and even when getting caught up in fashion trends and the ease of shopping in Zara and H&M, I’ve been acutely aware that the items filling up my wardrobe just didn’t seem to last. Jumpers would bobble, dresses would shrink, the material would scratch slightly. Aside from a few carefully chosen pieces, most items would not last longer than one year of wear. I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t really consider what happened to my clothes when I no longer wanted them and they got thrown away or carelessly passed to a local charity shop.
The recent Fashion Revolution ‘Fashions Future and the Sustainable Development Goals’ course I completed highlighted information I should have known. Obvious things that I’m surprised and embarrassed I hadn’t considered during my 20s and 30s. For example, synthetic fibres are not biodegradable - so where did I think my high street items went when I threw them away? And why had I never considered how it is possible to make a t-shirt costing £2.99 and still pay everyone in the supply chain who had contributed to making the garment a decent wage ? The further reading I’ve done has brought home the full scale of the problems associated with Fast Fashion. We simply cannot continue to consume and dispose of clothes at the current pace.
“Every year an estimated 300,000 tonnes of used clothing - about £140m worth - goes into landfill in the UK”
I do understand that not everyone can afford to shop away from the high street. However, the average life of a garment in the UK is currently 3.3 years. So if everyone was a little more considered when buying items, and purchased the best quality items they can afford, why can’t we look to extend the life of our clothes past three years?
Brands clearly need to be more accountable and transparent. They need to make the production of fashion kinder to the planet and to people across all touch points of a garment. However, the beast is too big, and I now realise that for change to really happen it needs to start with the consumer. If everyone took small steps to address their shopping habits and hold big fast fashion companies accountable it would create a huge tidal wave that would force change.
We can still love style and we can still adore fashion. We just need to make conscious, more informed choices.
Before reading up on the impact of fast fashion, I had slowly started to re-address my buying habits as I became all too aware that the clothes purchased from some stores were not made to last and the quality did not bring me joy. So in recent years I have reverted to buying less, but spending more on items I absolutely love. I am by no means perfect in my approach, I am still learning and I do still buy new clothes. However, I feel empowered to make better choices armed with knowledge and a desire to respect the planet for my children and future grandchildren.
In the past I would not have considered buying second hand clothes, but now my wardrobe is a balanced mix of new and preloved items. Last year I was about to purchase a leopard print (obviously) dress from Never Fully Dressed and decided to have a quick look on eBay first . I managed to find the exact dress I’d been lusting over in my size being sold by a lovely lady who said she just hadn’t worn it so wanted to create space for something new. I have realised that by looking in the right places, and buying from people who love clothes as much as I do, preloved clothes can bring as much joy (if not more when purchased for half the price) as items bought from new.
Let’s all try and take small steps to collectedly make a big difference.