Putting the brakes on fast fashion

The dominance of "fast fashion" - typified by low-cost imports and weekly drops - is being questioned by a small but noteworthy backlash.
Karen Webster, director of the Melbourne L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) has coined the term "Slow Fashion" to encapsulate "an attitude of mind," embodied by high-quality product "usually manufactured onshore and certainly manufactured to last."
"I coined the term "slow fashion" but I really borrowed it from other "slow" movements that have been around for some time, including the slow food movement," she said, adding that the slow food movement had been born of a rebellion against mass consumerism.
"If we adapted the slow food movement's principles to the fashion industry we could consider clothes that embrace artisan skills in unique, quality materials and are simply beautiful to wear. They would not be considered disposable and sustainability would be an inherent feature," she added.
Webster added that the question of how to create quality product was becoming increasingly pertinent due to the intense pressure on retailers resulting from the concept of "speed to market'.
"I'm not actively trying to push the slow fashion movement, but I think it is gaining ground organically as a trend. It will never be a large movement because there will always be big brands and big businesses running the industry, but I do think there should be more opportunities for smaller businesses and brands that take pride in producing a quality product and getting the product right," she said.