Slow Trends
The expression of slow fashion, like sustainability or eco fashion, is nothing new to anyone. Making precious collections of fine quality that will last more than a season has become important for large fashion houses as well as young brands building their whole identity on the concept. The care for sustainable fashion is up for constant discussion, in the same time as fast fashion moves as rapidly. Two concepts working in separate ends of the industry where the essence of time is central within them both.
Time might be today’s essential luxury “item” – taking that extra space away from the everyday hassle, but also looking at it from another angle: what time gives back through craftsmanship and production that favour long lasting quality. In an industry where the time carousel spins so fast that some stores even present new partial collections every week, do people have time to wait? And further, are they ready to pay more? Truth is that time is often a pricey story, and when people say they can’t afford the high quality fashion, should the coin just be turned around saying it’s all about buying less cheap and easily consumed products in favour of the slow ones? If one believes forecasters that are what the trends are pointing to. “It is our desire to make more use of styles that we are already familiar with, and instead add a new and surprising twist to those things,” said trend specialist Ulla Skjødt prior to the passed season. So, is the industry ready to let the trend cycle run longer?
Skjødt talks about a period in which trends are pointing towards a slowdown, and on the site slowfashionhouse.com the slow concept includes not only fashion but also living and – what they say is the Italian “foremother” – slow food. If forecasters are right, maybe the new luxury is not only a window of time every now and then, or luxurious quality that you will value for not only one season, but forever. Maybe the endeavour should be about the luxury of being able to live slowly, from fashion to food.
