In light of the fact that fashion consumers are more interested in the production process of their clothes than ever, slow fashion is posed to become far more represented in coming industry trends. The changes to come will see manufacturers putting forth a much more necessitated effort to show evidence of prioritizing natural resource-based production over the swifter mass-production methods.

Local production prioritization

The slow fashion movement is tightly bound to Made in America month, a December tradition originally begun during Ronald Reagan’s term in 1985. During Made in America month, all consumers are generally encouraged to supporting America-based manufacturers instead of outsourcing.

In the year 2008, slow fashion itself was brought to light just a bit over two decades after Reagan’s Made in America Month.Kate Fletcher, one of the most notable proponents of sustainability in the fashion industry, originally predicted that slow fashion would have a hard-fought battle against the more natural resource-consuming manufacturing methods.

Sustainability and transparency

One of the main topics surrounding slow fashion is fossil fuel depletion. In order to stave off the carbon footprint made my the industry, slow fashion-focused manufacturers will have to become more conscious about what fuels are used for the transportation and creation of their textiles.

If manufacturers want to be illustrate that their interests align with the widespread support for sustainability, then they’ll need to invest in methods that can spare water reservoirs and cut back on the damage from manmade pesticides.

Excessive natural reservoir usage by the fashion industry has created very grim implications for many ecosystems. Slow fashion stands as a preventative measure against the contribution that the industry makes to desertification and droughts.

A new mindset

In addition to standing for more sustainable fashion production methods on an industrial level, slow fashion has almost emerged alongside the push for a different kind of mindset towards clothes in general.

Fast fashion, essentially, means that clothes are treated as something disposable; by extension, this McDonaldization of clothes creates a misguided sense of abundance related to the resources used to produce them. Slow fashion’s rise would indicate that more consumers would begin to see clothes as long-lasting possessions, in which high quality should be prioritized over mere quantity.

It is expected that a more “committed” mindset towards individual clothing items by consumers and manufacturers alike could potentially spur even greater creativity, as designers consider new ways to make their wares both trendy and timeless.