Welcome to Slow Fashion USA
Slow Fashion USA is a national team of the Slow Fashion Movement that is fighting for a sustainable future by protecting the planet and its people. Our team’s mission is to connect Americans across the nation through fashion and to take action on a local, city level. The fashion industry needs to change and we must demand and pressure policy makers to make this happen.
SFUSA aims to establish a nation and world where it is impossible to buy clothing made from sweatshop conditions. We want fashion to heal both us and the planet. Slow Fashion Movement defines slow fashion as the deliberate and intentional practice of ensuring the long-term well-being of people and the planet through clothing.
Can you imagine a slow fashion world? A place where no one is harmed for the production and consumption of clothing and where consumers shop according to humanitarian values. It may seem like a distant ideal, but we don’t have to wait to see it happen. We can start today by working together for change.
‘Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.’ — Arundhati Roy
Slow Fashion USA works towards a slow fashion world by promoting clothing production as a creative expression versus a profit-driven pursuit. We push the idea that clothing can and should be intentionally designed to last for years and that it helps foster healing, stability and connections with others.
However, slow fashion is currently facing a cruel and ugly fashion industry. Fast fashion brands are on a race to the bottom where they try to cut corners at every level. They refuse to be held accountable to the exploitation and suffering in their supply chains. Brands also don’t pay their garment workers a living wage and are subject to harmful workplace conditions.
The excessive production of cheap clothing is also harming our environment as brands produce more while consumers buy and throw away trendy garments at a rapid pace. Brands also release toxic chemicals, use up massive amounts of resources and throw away or burn any unsold clothing they deem old or unfit for their stores.
But, if we hope to create our ideal slow fashion world, we must deeply reflect to understand ourselves.
This can allow us to stay true to what we believe in. Consider committing to the following promises:
I commit to looking at my own behaviors and get rid of any that are harmful for the planet
I will strive to create a politically-active community that demands change and pressures policy-makers to make slow fashion a reality
I will educate myself and others about the issues in the fashion industry and help others make more informed shopping decisions
I will support anyone interested in boycotting fast fashion and adopting a slow fashion mindset
These promises will allow us to do our part. However, fast fashion needs systemic change. We must demand corporations, governments, and advertisers to do their own part too.
Slow Fashion USA demands that the fashion industry:
Make the nation’s largest fashion brands be transparent about their business practices
Obtain government targets that measure the social and environmental damage that the fashion industry has on the world
Make advertiser accountable so fashion magazines stop being PR machines, and instead, become accountable to the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry
We cannot change the fashion industry without the passion and skills from volunteers across the nation. Slow Fashion USA welcomes you to join us to create the necessary change in the fashion industry. You can help by becoming a contributor writer, social media associate, or community outreach volunteer.
Learn more about national and global teams, and feel free to re-share our content, talk to your friends and family about slow fashion, and make your content about slow fashion. Make sure to tag us on Instagram and use the hashtag #slowfashionusa because we need all of you to create a slow fashion world!!