What is the Slow Fashion Revolution and why the Slow Fashion Tee?

What is Slow Fashion? (If you don’t already know)
Slow Fashion is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet. For me making your own clothes is all about taking part in this movement. “The Handmade Revolution” is slow fashion at it’s core. When we make our own clothes they are better quality and almost always a better fit! We are challenged with new techniques and sewing clothing becomes a form of entertainment. So the value is not only in creating lasting ethical pieces for our wardrobe but also about that added bonus of entertainment. Not to mention , the fact that many people are able to relieve stress by participating in some form of clothing creation, be it sewing, knitting & crocheting, cross stitching, embroidery, and needlework.

If you want to learn more about the Slow Fashion movement, check out this great article from WHO What WEAR.

You can also watch “The True Cost” on netflix. The documentary is so eye opening.

And NPR did a great series on the life of a t-shirt from start to finish. Check it out here

Why the Slow fashion Tee?

As creatives, we are able to make things that we love, choose patterns and fabrics that are perfect for us. If you know me, you know I love fashion and I also love Sloths. I think my love for sloths started when my husband and I visited Costa Rica. We took a really cool nature walk on one of the beaches with a guide. The sloths were so camouflaged with their green tinted fur and their lack of movement. You almost would miss them if you weren’t looking .  Since then, my love for them has grown. Animal planet even did a show called “Too Cute: Baby Sloths” I love how they are always smiling and are also just so chill and relaxed.  When I think about the slow fashion movement, it makes me think of sloths so I thought it would be a perfect match to use Sloths as the mascot for the Slow Fashion Movement. Plus, I am totally sure that if they were around some fabric they would love the fabric and latch on to it just like us sewistas!

Here’s a few fun facts about Sloths:

• There are two types of sloth the two-toed sloth and the three-toed sloth. (I have the 3 toed one in my design)
• Sloths can move along the ground at just 2 m (6.5 ft) per minute! In the trees they are slightly quicker at 3 m (10 ft) per minute.
• The slow-movement and unique thick fur of the sloth make it a great habitat for other creatures such as moths, beetles, cockroaches, fungi, and algae. In fact, this green colored algae provides a camouflage so sloths can avoid predators. Some species only live in the fur of sloths.

So to combine the two, sloths and slow fashion. I have created the design for this Slow Fashion Tee and Wooden Pendant. The shirts are printed locally in a suburb of Denver by a high school Fashion program. As a fashion teacher myself, I wanted to support kids learning new skills and support my fellow FACS teachers. The shirt is for sale in the shop here, and it is $20 plus shipping. The wooden pin is $12 and that includes shipping. You can find it here.