“Slow fashion” is a concept of fashion developed mostly after 2010 or so, which acts as a reaction to the “fast fashion” approach.
Fast fashion
The rapid developments that have taken place in the fashion world after the 1990s have given a new meaning to the concept of “consumerism” and “fast fashion”. While in the classic fashion system, getting the clothes you wanted could mean some work, time and effort, both on the part of the customer and of the designer; the fast fashion concept approaches clothing in a different way, where clothes are made en masse and are rapidly available to anyone. The peak of this approach happened as many brands included the concept of “see now, buy now” in their fashion shows. This way, people could watch the show online, and, as they watch it, order things they see. Talk about immediate gratification!
This is a very different approach of the classic fashion system, in which the clothes were presented on the runway and only months after; modified versions of these were available in stores – sometimes only in selected stores.
Of course, it is definitely a positive thing that clothes are now available to more people through online shops, which deliver almost anywhere, but this fast approach can make fashion a worthless industry in terms of cultural value, not monetary value.
This is why some designers such as Tom Ford have drawn this quick “see it, buy it approach” from their marketing strategies.
The new old system
Seeing that the new technologies tend to vulgarize fashion, many customers and designers have refused to embark on the fast fashion boat. This is why many brands and designers are now going back to the roots of the fashion system and taking their time and effort to create clothes. In a way, once, everything was “slow fashion”. Customers are very happy with this approach too. Many fashionistos and fashionistas from around the world are very excited to wear special clothes, one-of-a-kind clothes, durable clothes. People who enjoy a well-made piece of clothing are happy to have them and designers are excited that there is a market for this, as many designers also want to create more unique pieces.
Old craft, new technologies
The problem with fashion today (one of the problems) is that the craft of fashion has been lost in a very large proportion. Upcoming designers often lack the knowledge to work with fabrics and to use different construction techniques when they are creating their clothes.
There is a definitely a trend that is moving slowly to relearning techniques of construction and the elements that can make clothes special, but there is some way to go until we get there.
A trend that goes hand in hand with the rediscovery of old crafts is the use of advanced technologies to create clothes. Thus, we are seeing more and more clothes that incorporate technologies in their fabrics. Sometimes, the fabrics have internet access and other times, they have healing properties. There are even 3d-printed collections and accessories made from fabrics that can be molded and redesigned very easily.
Therefore, slow fashion is a trend that is here to stay and that is most likely to go in parallel with fast fashion. Couture is very likely to make a come-back, as designers are more and more interested in creating over the top clothes and there is a market that is slowly forming for the wearers as well.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Fascinating fashion and sustainability facts
Fashion industry statistics you probably did not know
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