‘Slow fashion’ promises original, beautiful, high-quality fashion to enjoy in a responsible and sustainable way. It’s not new to Booty Shoes nor to our customers, but now with the impact of Covid-19, the ‘slow fashion’ movement is gaining momentum. What is it and how do we embrace it?
'Fast fashion' denotes lower-quality, low-priced, mass-produced and machine-made items that quickly end up in landfills. Studies state that more than half of fast fashion purchases are discarded within a year, and less that 1% of the materials used are recycled.
In contrast, 'slow fashion' is made largely by hand, takes time and artistic talent to produce, is better quality and higher priced. Slow fashion items are naturally comfortable and can last for years or even a lifetime. These brands often use natural, recycled and repurposed materials, and aim for less waste and less chemical, energy and resource use.
Slow fashion brands
You can recognise slow fashion brands by these characteristics:
- Sustainable, ethical design Slow fashion companies sacrifice high-volume turnover and speed-to-market to focus on ethical manufacturing with reduced environmental impact. Slower production schedules, small batch collections, recycled materials and zero-waste designs result in less textile waste clogging our landfills.
- Authentic, local craftmanship In contrast to the ‘made in China’ mass production model, slow fashion brands produce their goods in-house or locally so they have control over their supply chain and labour conditions. They focus on quality of labour, fair wages and traditional craftsmanship.
- Made for longevity and emotional value Slow fashion pieces often give a sense of the soul, energy and craft of the maker and provide an emotional value to the wearer beyond function or status. Designs are beautiful, eternal and well-made - they need to be to encourage us to buy selectively, keep and care for our purchases a long time, and repair or refurbish them.
If you’re looking for some beautiful slow fashion staples, these Booty Shoes brands are great starting points.
1. Verdura: Walk ‘soul to sole'
Verdura is a brand for people who value our oceans, beaches and biodiversity. This eco-friendly Italian label makes their signature shoes from abandoned fishing nets banned in Europe because of the huge volumes of young fish they capture and the species they endanger.
Verdura recovers these small-gauge fishing nets from Mediterranean seabeds and ports. The mesh is then softened, dyed with natural pigments and combined with recycled cork, rubber and scrap leathers to produce simply exquisite designs. Every shoe is built to enhance the foot and leg, reflecting the Italian love of beauty and aesthetics.
2. Saben: 'Made with care for you to carry consciously'
New Zealand accessories label Saben doesn’t design for seasons, it designs for generations. Their design ethos has always been fewer-more-beautiful designs that people will love and use for a really long time. Director Roanne Jacobson says “we often hear stories of Saben bags that are passed down from mother to daughter.”
Already a great slow fashion brand, Saben is choosing to manufacture in ways that are kinder to the environment. Their latest capsule collection of handbags is beautifully crafted with leather created through an innovative upcycling process. Industrial leather glove offcuts are combined with a natural binding agent sourced from rubber trees, reducing manufacturing waste and water usage by 90%.
3. P448: 'Less waste. Same spirit.'
Italian footwear brand P448 believes eclecticism, innovation and experimentation lie at the heart of self-expression. Their sneakers are all made in Italy by master innovators and artisans. Synthesising elements of street, global and pop culture, their edgy designs are also durable, lightweight and supremely comfortable.
With its 2020 capsule collection ‘Renew’, P448 is starting to embrace sustainable manufacturing. Renew sneakers are made from the fibres of discarded scrap leather and synthetics woven together in a process called ‘water fusion’. This drastically reduces the waste and energy used in traditional leather production.
Wear the change you want to see
By buying ‘slow fashion’ you can support brands who care about the environment, pay fair wages and produce genuine fashion products that are meant to last. These brands are usually found in small local boutiques like Booty Shoes, not large retail outlets. We'd love you to come in and experience our beautiful slow fashion brands arriving in-store now!
Shop in store or online with free delivery within Australia over $100.