Why I'm Embracing Slow Fashion

There are lots of questions around vintage and the growing movement known as Slow Fashion. A few of my repeat Google searches have been: What is considered vintage? What is the difference between vintage and antiques? What is Slow Fashion?

Some of these questions have quick, easy answers and others are more personal.

"Vintage" is typically used to describe thrifted or second-hand items from a past era but also seems to be a much cooler way of saying something has been used before and is therefore not new.

It seems like an item is labeled "vintage" when its lifespan has been less than 100 years. Whereas an "antique" is something that has survived longer than 100 years.

The concept of "Slow Fashion" is a more recent phenomenon and in my opinion consists of both considered purchasing behaviors by the buyer as well as a shift in focus towards lengthening the lifespan of clothing while also reducing waste by the seller. For a more detailed description of Slow Fashion, I loved reading this article on The Good Trade.

The "why" is of course much more personal.

I've always felt like finding a unique, vintage item is like discovering lost treasure except that you are in an antique store and not a pirate 😂. Not only may the item have significant value (either known or even unknown to the seller of the item), but it is by definition unique because you are likely the only one who has it.

Aside from enjoying my treasure-hunting pastime, my shift from "fast" to "slow" has only resulted in more life positives and frankly no negatives. I've found my vintage and antique purchases to be more meaningful to me in the long run and typically of much better value than a trendy "Fast Fashion" item. And by shopping vintage I've saved not only money but time. I don't even like to think about all the money that was spent to feel the thrill of checking out or the amount of time I wasted just adding items to my shopping cart for a future purchase (anyone else do this?).

And there's something else. I realized that I had been sucked into the Instagram influencer culture of always wanting to buy what my favorite influencer was selling. I'd spy a new, camel jacket and peruse the comments to see if someone knew where to buy it. Come to find out 5 jacket posts later that it's the influencer's exclusive new design and that it would be launched shortly. Immediately after buying the jacket, I'd feel elated, like owning the jacket made me part of an exclusive club and I'd look forward to the expected pings of joy when it showed up in later Instagram posts. But, I realized that within weeks of the launch, the influencer would be on to the next launch and there was a low probability that I would ever see that jacket again.

As part of my continued journey down the Slow Fashion path, I've been participating in Frugalwoods' Uber Frugal Month, which aims to help map out life goals while making you more conscious of your short-term purchasing patterns. The more I read, the more I realize that the two are inextricably linked.

I'm interested to hear if you've heard of "Slow Fashion" or whether you are changing your own purchasing  behaviors.

Let's talk more over on The Keeper of Things Instagram!