The fashion piece that time travels

How can We Make Fashion as a Form to Reconnect with Ourselves? Yes, You and Me. What have you done lately to reconnect with yourself? We are literally prone to take good care of ourselves, don’t we! But do we do the same to the things we associate ourselves with the most?

Yes. We choose who are in our close circles. We choose who we listen to, whom to get inspired from, what to eat, which type of food, and the list goes on …

Have you thought about the same about your clothes? I’m sure you do. But have we dug deep into what we wear? Probably not.

We are born to seek quality in ourselves and our surroundings and materials we use, but what’s the deal with fashion?

Confession: I used to be a ‘Shopaholic’

Spending every penny, on clothes : just like everyone else out there. I used to be extremely selective on ‘quality’ where I only seek in the outer appearance.

I was a Shopaholic- every week or the other until I realized- how my clothes are made, what materials are they made from, who makes my clothes, whether it is environmental friendly etc.

Then comes ‘Slow Fashion’ & ‘Sustainability’ miming in my ears . . .

In late 2015’s I came across this term heavily on sustainability in fashion and very recently- the slow fashion movement. It was pretty challenging to learn and hear what’s exactly going on in the industry, long story short- I started unraveling it.

Question for myself: What I initially thought ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Slow Fashion’ was, and How I see the bigger picture now?

There were, and are some myths revolved around these terms which scare most of us out of the way such as ‘ohh, that’s not something for me’, ‘sustainable fashion is high-end’, ‘not affordable’, ‘ made for elites only’ etc. But the truth is, ‘Not At All!’.

“Now, Slow fashion for me is the clothes that are thoughtfully and consciously made, higher quality and lasts for generations to come. It is timeless- and classic, you can wear any time of your life - A piece that : Time Travels!”

Slow fashion is not a garment but a movement. Here are some characteristics I found of slow fashion endorsed brands have:

• Ethically sourced materials & environmentally friendly
• Quality conscious
• Made in small batches- mostly artisan
• Fair wages for the makers
• Gives a sustainable advantage for makers and users
• Timeless and can be worn for generations

Here’s some justifications for, ‘Why Slow Fashion is For You and Me’ and not some unachievable ethos. Let’s find out!

Myth #1: Ethical & Sustainable Tags are Expensive

Affordability varies. However, when it comes to ethical sourcing and fair wages for makers, the time duration spent on that craft- yes it can sometimes be expensive. But not all-the-time. It’s a choice you have to make. Do I buy one quality product which can be expensive yet lasts long and cherish, or do I bunk it in lots of fast fashion products which serve no purpose at all. Time to ponder..

Having said that- you still can find timeless pieces of clothing with much affordable price tags, locally. I bet It’s time to do some research.

Myth #2: Luxury brands are sustainable

Quality does not always equate to sustainability, period. Not even the big price tags. As a conscious consumer, you need to dig deep into how these clothes are made, are they harming animals, and use synthetic materials damaging the planet. How about the wages and lifestyle of the workers? Is it fair and healthy?

All these directly affects a sustainable journey of a product. So, any brand can be sustainable, as long as they care about you, and the planet.

Myth #3: Sustainable brands are hard to find

It could be true a decade ago, but many brands have started the big move to make themselves sustainable. As mentioned in the characteristics, check if the boxes are ticked. You may notice most of our local designers are sustainable too.

Fact: If you shop from a fast-fashion retailer, it doesn’t mean you are not contributing to slow fashion. You cannot simply dump everything you bought already, isn’t it? It’s how you make the best use of it. Can you recycle or upcycle it? Swap it, thrift it, or give it to charity? Like said earlier- it’s how you make the best use of it to last longer, and you shop next time, see how conscious you become on your expected sustainable standards.

Let’s not make it hard, but simple and caringly effective.

Sustainable Fashion and Slow Fashion is NOT mere an END PRODUCT. But a worthy JOURNEY and How you start making a small difference from the next purchase you are going to make.

With the small steps I have taken, it has slowly and clearly opened my eyes, to be more conscious in little details of the products.

I also have felt noticed in my wellbeing- life has been made easier for me as I know what exactly I want, having few quality and timeless items in my wardrobe. By decluttering I have gained space in my mind too- which is clear and crisp when taking the rest of the decisions daily. I have a better self-esteem by being part of a change maker, and the list goes on.

I’d love it if you too, could think a minute on everything mentioned above. And see yourself the impact and difference, making a little move.

More on my journey will be unfolded and unraveled as time goes by - in the meantime let’s give each other a chance.

With love,

Amanda Guyes for Absolute