Fast Fashion is destroying lives and the planet at our collective behest. There are loads of people who aren’t part of the problem, thankfully. There are people who are part of the problem and don’t realize it, and I hope we’ll reach some of those. And there are people who are part of the problem, come to that realization, and want to make changes. That’s what Slow Fashion October is about: A discussion in which all points of view are welcome in a global discussion about how to avoid (or minimize) contributing to the problem and how to be part of the solution — starting at home, with our own closets. The conversation takes place here on the blog and via the #slowfashionoctober hashtag on Instagram.
I’ve got a big month planned for Slotober 2018 (our fourth year!), filled with Action Items, discussion prompts, a wide range of people and companies worth knowing about, and full-length interviews with Erin Boyle, Martha McQuade, Katrina Rodabaugh and Gina Stovall (all linked below as they happen), each of whom comes at the topic from a different direction and is tackling it in different ways. I’m hoping we’ll see and hear from lots of new people this year on the #slowfashionoctober feed, along with all of you who’ve been participating in years past.
Be sure to follow @slowfashionoctober on Instagram for all the updates and highlights from the feed, and don’t miss the saved Story highlights!
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BACKGROUND AND RESOURCES
INTERVIEW
What is Slow Fashion and how do I get some?
VIDEO
Unravel by Meghna Gupta is (in 14 minutes) an eye-opening look at what happens to our cast-offs
DOCUMENTARY
The True Cost is the full story of how broken and destructive our fashion industry is, please watch
SELECT ESSAYS
Why I make my own clothes
Is it more expensive?
Can slow fashion impact fast fashion?
ARCHIVE
Slow Fashion October the complete scroll back through all interviews, features, links and more since 2015
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CHALLENGES AND GOALS
This month I’ll be challenging you to epic style and closet assessment, but you might want to set a personal challenge for yourself as well. Stretching your DIY skill set, doing something for the first time, swearing off shopping, tackling the mending pile, whatever feels Slotober-worthy to you, set a goal, state it “out loud,” and go for it.
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WEEK 1: What’s your look?
The key to a slow, low-turnover closet is filling it with the right clothes in the first place — the right clothes for you. Every closet that fills more slowly and thoughtfully, that lasts longer and suits its owner, is a chink in the fast-fashion industry, and chinks add up. So let’s start the process by getting to know ourselves better and figure out what really works for us, after which we’ll compare that to what’s actually in our closet. Click here for the full post on this week’s theme and challenge, along with this week’s Action Item and Discussion Prompts.
Additional posts:
Style crush x 3
The clothes stories can tell …
Weekend Reads
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WEEK 2: What’s in your closet?
In this week’s Q&A, Erin Boyle talks about why it matters what we put into our closets and what we do with the things that don’t work out. Erin is the author of the book Simple Matters and the blog Reading My Tea Leaves, and you can also find her on Instagram @readtealeaves.
Additional posts:
Maker Crush: Natalie of The Tiny Closet
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WEEK 3: Do your clothes add up?
This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Martha McQuade about how she balances handmade and sustainable in her own closet, along with her views on the value of fashion as art and the potential impact of fast fashion companies making slow fashion efforts. And so much more! You can also find Martha on Instagram @mwmmpls.
Additional posts:
How to make a visual closet inventory
Weekend Reads
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WEEK 4: What needs fixing?
This week’s interview is with year-round inspiration Katrina Rodabaugh, whose new book Mending Matters has just published. I asked Katrina about mending, dyeing, refashioning and all the ways of keeping clothes alive and of interest longer, as well as making them more suitable to your tastes. For nonstop thoughts and inspiration on these topics, be sure to follow @katrinarodabaugh.
Additional posts:
Maker Crush: LLane Alexis
Q for You: How many clothes do you make/buy per year?
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WRAP UP: What more can you do?
The final interview of the month is with Gina Stovall, a client scientist and geologist who also owns a made-to-order clothing company, Two Days Off. Given her dual perspective on the subject (and wanting to end the month with a focus on the environmental cost of our closets), I asked Gina about the issue of natural fibers vs synthetics, whether she thinks the slow fashion movement matters and what choices we can make for our own closets that have an impact. For more of Gina, follow @ginastovall on Instagram.