Is Slow Fashion in the Slow Lane?

Several Democratic representatives have introduced a Slow Fashion Caucus initiative aimed at limiting waste and pollution from the fast-fashion industry.

At a launch event on June 27, three U.S. representatives — Chellie Pingree (Maine), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Washington), and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (California) — noted that fast fashion, which “relies on cheap manufacturing, frequent consumption, and short-lived garment use,” has caused the rate of textile waste to increase “tremendously” over the last two decades.

According to a statement from Pingree, the founder and chair of the Slow Fashion Caucus, textile waste is now one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the U.S., but only 15% of clothing in the U.S. is recycled or reused. The statement also claimed that fast-fashion items are responsible for up to one-third of microplastics released as well as the loss of “hundreds of thousands of fiber and textile jobs” to less-expensive sourcing overseas.

The founding principles of the caucus included:

• Bringing textile production back into the U.S.
• Incentivizing the apparel sector to promote the reuse, repair, and recycling of textiles
• Supporting the increased use of sustainable fibers
• Building public awareness of the environmental impact of fast fashion
• Expanding initiatives across federal agencies to encourage textile sustainability

The slow fashion trend was first pointed out in the earlier part of the century, with a Wall Street Journal from 2014 indicating that many consumers were adopting a “Buy Less, Spend More” mentality. The WSJ spotlighted several companies in particular, including Zady and Everlane, that were “encouraging shoppers to build simpler, smaller and longer-lasting wardrobes.”

Beyond any environmental reasons, the article pointed to Millennials entering their professional years seeking more sophisticated outfits than those available at H&M, Zara, and Forever 21; a moral discomfort from consumers over having so many clothing options; and the exhaustion of having to adjust to the quickly rotating trends made possible by fast fashion. Concerns that disposable clothing repurchases support sweatshops were also cited.

Forever 21’s bankruptcy filing in September 2019 had some fashion experts predicting the industry had reached a “tipping point,” with surveys showing young consumers increasingly interested in secondhand clothes and sustainability. However, a strong shift away from disposable fashion never happened thanks to the popularity of Chinese platforms like SHEIN and Temu, leading to articles on how to break consumers’ addiction to fast fashion.

ThredUP’s Gen Z Fast Fashion Report from 2022 found that while a majority of Gen Zers said they want to shop more sustainably (65%), one-third said they feel addicted to fast fashion.

A Business of Fashion article from this past June noted that inflation had played a role in the recent closing of several smaller sustainable-focused labels.

The Slow Fashion Caucus comes as countries in the European Union, especially France, have introduced legislation to encourage fashion brands and consumers to adopt more sustainable practices.

When asked by the Washington Post what it will “take for people to break this addiction to fast fashion,” Pingree emphasized the benefit of raising awareness. She said, “Plastic straws is one of those examples. I never thought that getting rid of plastic straws was going to reduce the real impact of climate change. But it was interesting how quickly, when that became a topic in conversation, places moved to paper straws or reusable straws. Fashion is a little bit that way — putting pressure on those companies.”