Can you slow down fast fashion?
Words Emma Vidgen // @emma_vee
Image Fernand De Canne // Unsplash
As the end of my year-long shopping sabbatical creeps closer, I’ve had plenty of time to get better acquainted with the clothes I already own. I’m not overly proud to admit I have more than my fair share of fast fashion, much of it bought mindlessly on a lunch break, or as a pick me up or because I had a wedding/party/Friday night I felt needed “something new”.
But I’d like to think, going forward, those days are behind me. After 11 months off the Zara treadmill, I feel more inspired than ever to make more mindful choices once the project ends. But one question that’s haunted me throughout the experiment has been what to do with the fast fashion I already own?
Getting rid of it doesn’t feel very mindful. Seeing clothes as disposable is the very reason why we ended up in this mess to start with. To truly break the cycle of fast fashion, I need to quit thinking of clothes as throwaway, and that decluttering and purging only to go out and shop again is somehow a badge of wokeness. So, what is the solution?
I sat down with Clara Vuletich, a sustainable fashion expert (check out her brilliant Ted talk here) to find out whether its possible to slow down fast fashion. With a battered old t-shirt from Portmans as my witness, I ask Clara whether it is possible to absolve the sins of my fast fashion past by caring for clothes long after they were ever intended to be loved. Her answer may surprise you…