Slow Fashion

SLOW FASHION

Slow fashion – fast fashion, do you know the difference?

Sometimes I wonder myself what the difference is. When you are walking through the city, almost every clothing store you pass sells fast fashion. This means low prices per item and new collections that follow up each other really quick. In order to be able to create fast fashion, the brands don’t pay attention to the working conditions of their employees nor do they pay attention about the environmental impact of their productions.

Having worked in the industry, and watched movies like The True Cost (2014), I have always heard stories about how large buyers will place orders in factories for 1 million pairs of jeans in Bangladesh. 1 million! But for only $2 per piece. That is the literally the definition of fast fashion. At Kopal our clothes are slow fashion. This means firstly that we make what we sell. We make small quantities. We make goods by hand. We pay a living wage. And most importantly, when we create something we want and hope that you can wear and continue to wear and love it for years to come!



When creating slow fashion the focus is more on how the products are fabricated instead of just trying to keep up with the fashion trends like fast fashion does. Slow fashion is all about honesty, fair and thoughtful. When creating our Kopal pieces we deeply care about the world and focus on the people creating our beautifully slow fashion pieces.

Do you know how you can recognize slow fashion?

Here are a few tips on how to make sure you are buying slow fashion pieces:

  • Have a close look at the label on the products. Are the products made of synthetic fabrics or natural fabrics?
  • Have a closer look at the details on the clothing. Can you see if there has been attention paid to the details? Are their slight imperfections that show the mark of a hand, not mass manufactured goods?
  • Check the buttons or zippers of the clothes and have a closer look at the quality of these parts. Are they made of good quality and do they function properly?
  • When you are still not sure whether a piece is slow fashion or fast fashion, check the background or website of the brand and you will find out!

I hope that we can all continue to learn and evolve and grow and inspire and change so that we might create a better world not just for ourselves, or for people in less fortunate positions, but for future generations to come.

‘Slow fashion is a philosophy. It is a way of thinking about, choosing and wearing clothes to ensure they bring meaning, value and joy to every day.’
- Jane Milburn