Slow fashion is often discussed as an industry movement, but for most of us the question is simpler. What does it actually mean in our daily lives? This post explores the confusion many of us feel when trying to understand slow fashion for consumers and what practical choices might look like.
Originally published October 2020. Updated March 2026
I have always followed fashion trends. As a teen, it was through a voracious reading of glossy newspaper segments and womenโs magazines. Later, High Heel Confidential and the likes became my daily diet. I always followed the trends with interest, saw what the celebs sported and most often, called them outrageous. I was able to spot these trends on the streets when they made their way into the girl next doorโs wardrobe, but they did not seem for me.
For one, trendy clothes were never made for plus sized bodies. I have always been plus sized, even at my slimmest, I was an XL or L in most high street brands. As long as I remember, I have been shopping for jeans and tees in the menโs section and getting Indian wear stitched via darzis.
Weโll talk about my frustration with jeans brands who seemed to think that women with waists larger than 26 inches needed boxy, ill fitting jeans some other time.
The point is, I had very little choice in trends. For another, even when I found brands that offered trendy clothes in my size, I felt drawn to classics. In western wear, I preferred classic cut full sleeved button down shirts, A line dresses and midi skirts. In Indian wear, I have lived on a diet of straight cut Kurtis and leggings for years. When I visit the darzi to get a suit stitched, I invariably select a straight long kameez with pajami or a fitted salwar. For me, the variation came in the form of fabrics, prints or embroidery but the silhouettes themselves remain pretty much the same.
My sartorial awakening came sometime in the last decade, after a lot of experimentation. I was selective about trying trends. The few that I did were short lived love affairs.
You see, I find clothes expensive.
Most retail brands overprice clothes. The cheap, sorry affordable brands sell clothes that do not last. The average life of garments in my wardrobe is 5-6 years. I usually bought pieces that start off as office wear. After 2-3 years of use, they become ghar ke Kapde and I wear them around the house for as long as I can. Thereafter, it goes into the rag pile used for cleaning, dusting, mopping. Stuff that I can no longer fit into gets shown to all my maids. They pick and choose. The rest goes into a donation box. Every year, I pick out pieces that need to retire to home wear or donation pile and replace them at one go. So during this time of the year, when there are sales galore, I buy my clothes.
For the longest time, I thought this was a fairly responsible system. I am not buying and discarding clothes every month so I am not a victim of fast fashion. I am endorsing slow fashion.
At least, that is what I told myself for years. If clothes stayed in my wardrobe for half a decade and lived three separate lives, first as office wear, then as home wear and finally as cleaning rags, surely that counted as responsible consumption. The more I read about slow fashion later, the more I realised the story might not be that simple for consumers like me.
Over the last few years, slow fashion conversations have surfaced more and more on my social media feed. I have read textile experts, brand owners and stylists speak about slow fashion and it left me confused.
What exactly is slow fashion?
Many people assume slow fashion simply means buying fewer clothes. In reality, slow fashion for consumers usually comes down to a few practical habits: buying garments that last longer, repeating outfits without guilt, repairing instead of discarding, and resisting the pressure of constantly changing trends. None of these require a designer wardrobe or hours of research. They simply require a shift in how we think about clothing.
Understanding Slow Fashion for Consumers
My attempt to answer this question led me to read many blogs, editorial pieces and articles on the net. I thought slow fashion meant buying good quality clothes that last long, not getting swept in the wave of consumerism and re-wearing and repeating your garments. But what I read was quite different from what I had assumed. Most talked about slow fashion as a movement, talked about practices in the fashion industry. Not surprisingly, the simplest definition came from Wikipedia.
Principles of the Slow Fashion Movement:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_fashion
- taking a local approach
- having a transparent production system
- making sustainable and sensorial products
Can you see why this left me confused? There is no role of the consumer here! Sure, I can try and seek out slow fashion brands. But this is a slow and arduous process. I also have no way of confirming if a brand ethic is what it says it is. Big retail brands advocate about ethical fashion practices but we do read reports of them burning unused clothes. Now, I am not trying to single out this large global brand, am just citing an example. How confusing it can be for the consumer!
Yes, I want to practice slow fashion. Yes, I want to buy clothes that are not harmful for the environment.
But how do I do that as a consumer?
What does slow fashion for consumers actually look like in everyday life? With my limited time and means, how do I embrace slow fashion?
Why Slow Fashion Is Still Confusing for Consumers
Honestly, I donโt have the answers yet. I am ready to go on a journey to find the answers and imbibe the principles of fast fashion. I also want to teach these to my kids. At the same time, I donโt want to spend a bomb on clothes or kill their personal style. Whenever I think about slow fashion, I end up feeling more and more confused about what should I do and how should I do it. Then there are always the moments of weakness when I give into the temptation of 85% off banners and buy some fast fashion
The point of this 850 word monologue is simple. I nod along with the principles of slow fashion, but when it comes to actually practicing them, I realise how little I know. I need to do more and donโt know how. It is not easy. If I invest myself into this, it eats into my time. Time, as I have been saying, is my most precious commodity. What I am doing in the name of slow fashion is not enough. I need to do more and donโt know how.
So, if you have some ideas about imbibing slow fashion that does not involve a heavy time and money investment, please let me know. If you have already invested time, please share your knowledge and research. You can email me, comment on this post of hit me up on twitter or Instagram. I will happily hear you out, and things I benefit from, I will definitely reshare in my small circle of influence.
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