{"id":1956,"date":"2017-11-15T14:12:27","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T12:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/justmeneesha.com\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2021-07-06T11:00:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T09:00:56","slug":"slow-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justmeneesha.com\/index.php\/2017\/11\/15\/slow-movement\/","title":{"rendered":"The Slow Movement: What it means and why it’s relevant"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Slow Movement: What it means and why it’s relevant<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Slow has never been so fashionable as it is now. And for that I am glad.<\/p>\n

The Slow concept originated with the Slow Food campaign in 1986 when Carlo Petrini<\/a> protested the opening of a McDonald\u2019s restaurant in Rome. The Slow Food movement arose out of a desire to protect local food cultures and place more emphasis on the pleasure of food rather than the instant gratification of the fast food culture.<\/p>\n

Today, this movement is seeing the growth of a global culture that respects quality food, locally sourced ingredients and care for the earth, coupled with a strong emphasis on pleasure.<\/p>\n

\"The

The Slow Food movement marked the beginning of a Slow culture that is gaining popularity worldwide<\/p><\/div>\n

Slow fashion<\/h3>\n

The fashion industry is undergoing a similar transformation. Slow fashion represents all things eco-friendly and ethical. The term, Slow Fashion, was first coined by Kate Fletcher from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion<\/a> in London. It values treating the environment with care, quality over quantity and style that lasts decades as opposed to a single season.<\/p>\n

Carl Honor\u00e9\u2019s book, In Praise of Slowness<\/em>, explores the Slow philosophy. Here he describes the \u201cslow movement\u201d thus:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a cultural revolution against the notion that faster is always better. The Slow philosophy is not about doing everything at a snail\u2019s pace. It\u2019s about seeking to do everything at the right speed. Savoring the hours and minutes rather than just counting them. Doing everything as well as possible, instead of as fast as possible. It\u2019s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Slow movement is not organised or run be any one entity. It is essentially a movement conceptualised and maintained by many individuals who together expand the Slow community globally.<\/p>\n

Mainstream fashion relies on mass production \u2013 the garment-making process, from design to retail floor, can take just a few weeks.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impressive, yes. But I strongly believe that the process is needs to be seriously interrogated. Mass production enables retailers to sell trendy garments at low prices, thus encouraging consumers to purchase a lot more than they actually need. This global tendency towards overconsumption comes at a heavy price for the environment and workers in the supply chain.<\/p>\n

Rana Plaza<\/h3>\n
\"Garment

Garment workers who survived the Rana Plaza factory collapse, take a stand against inhumane working conditions<\/p><\/div>\n

Think of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh four years ago. A total of 1 135 workers were killed and thousands were injured, when the building they were working in collapsed.<\/p>\n

Fast fashion is synomous with a myriad of concerning issues \u2013 burning fossil fuels, overflowing landfill sites, chemicals release, and discarded clothes. Not to mention the human cost \u2013 child labour, poor working conditions and minimum wage. Unravelling the fast fashion industry is an ideal many strive for, but it may be a pipe dream for now.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, there are signs that a new consumer is emerging \u2013 a consumer who desires more accountability from brands.<\/p>\n

Slow fashion is being seen, more and more, as a desirable choice.<\/p>\n

The Rana Plaza tragedy put in the spotlight the ravages of fast fashion and exposed the putrid underbelly of a glamorous beast.<\/p>\n

Suddenly, global brands were being called out for their production processes. Ethical gained imporance. Slow was becoming de rigeur.<\/p>\n

A positive offshoot of the tragedy was the launch of the Fashion Revolution <\/a>movement \u2013 a global initiative calling for more ethics and sustainability in the fashion industry.<\/p>\n

Fashion Revolution says on its website<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to unite the fashion industry and ignite a revolution to radically change the way our clothes are sourced, produced and purchased, so that what the world wears has been made in a safe, clean and fair way.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fashion Revolution Week is the organisation\u2019s #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign. It takes place in April every year \u2013 around the time the Rana Plaza factory collapsed. The purpose of the campaign is to get people to ask brands \u2013 big and small \u2013 \u201cwho made my clothes\u201d and demand more transparency in the fashion supply chain.<\/p>\n

\"Fashion

Fashion Revolution activists with #WhoMadeMyClothes posters and banners<\/p><\/div>\n

Important concepts to understand<\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re new to the slow\/ethical\/sustainable fashion scene it may serve you well to understand the difference between these three concepts.<\/p>\n

In a nutshell:<\/p>\n