slow fashion

Something that has evolved as I’ve gotten older, along with my fascination for slow interiors, is my love for slow fashion. When I worked on Regent St in London in my twenties, Zara and Mango were the next block down and were pretty much my best friends, especially Zara. I used to love the ability to pick up a 10 quid top in my lunch break to wear out that weekend. They had new things in every week! For a gal from Provincial NZ it was magical. Although I still love Zara and totally support the changes they’ve made recently to be more transparent and sustainable, my friends these days are the fashion companies whose ethos are based around minimising their impact on the planet. New Zealand fashion is right at the forefront. NZ brand Kowtow has even published a booklet of information of all their findings on how to own a fashion brand and create production practices that minimise impact on the planet to pass on to other companies.  

 Recently, I read that a well-known fashion retailer stands accused of burning twelve tonnes of unsold garments each year. And clothes don’t usually weigh much right, so that is a lot of clothing. If most of that clothing is synthetic, as fast fashion often is, imagine the effects of that destruction on the environment. And it’s not the only one - allegedly, lots of fast fashion and luxury fashion houses burn unsold stock. To me, they need to be more accountable for the impact this has on the planet, on all of us. Make less and have better production practices for starters.

 Consequently, over the last few years, I’ve muddled my way through it all and been driven towards companies that are working hard on minimising their impact. I don’t always get it right and tread as lightly as I’d like to, but when I do it definitely makes me feel better about purchasing.

 I love Essen shoes that have on-demand manufacturing practices, so they only make as much as have been ordered by customers. It actually feels really old school and lovely to know that your shoes have been created from the order you’ve put through.

Essen

Rachel Mills too, produces a weekly run of clothing for whoever has purchased that week, “changing the way we shop”. These are mindfully made pieces, made from responsibly sourced fabrics. Clothes that feel good.

Rachel Mills

My favourite NZ design house is Maggie Marilyn. Beautifully designed clothing with an ethos that is “buy as you need, repair what you can and repurpose what you can’t”. They even provide repair kits so that you can bring their clothes back to life if they’ve gotten a little worn.

Maggie Marilyn

Because, let’s face it, we all need to buy less fashion. How many tops have you brought from a cheap store that you’ve hardly worn, feel really ho-hum about, or worse – still have the tag on them? I know I have, many times over the years! But these days, I try really hard not to. These days I love putting on an old worn item of clothing that cost me a bit more but is still standing the test of time, and I’ve had it for years. These truly are clothes that make you feel good.