Sustainable Fashion has come a long way from addressing environmental concerns as product differentiators to fashion brands incorporating the sustainability as an industrial practise. However, it will still take time before Slow Fashion charms its way to these fast fashion brands.
What is Slow Fashion ?
The term “slow fashion” was coined in 2007 by Kate Fletcher in an article published in The Ecologist, where she compared the eco / sustainable / ethical fashion industry to the slow food movement. It developed as a natural reaction to fast fashion: where trends change every season, clothing and accessories are affordable but low quality and end up in the trash in no time.
In fast fashion the cost of garments is so low, consumers are tempted into purchasing new clothes with each new trend, meanwhile, their old, unwanted clothes are discarded.
The Slow Fashion Movement works towards creating an industry that benefits the planet and all people. The movement advocates principles similar to the principles of slow food, such as good quality, clean environment, and fairness for both consumers and producers.
SlowFashion is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.
Seventy-five percent of fashion supply chain material ends up in landfills. This amounts to ‘the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles per second
The Pulse of fashion Industry, 2018 Report
Few basic features of Slow Fashion Brand
- Made from high quality, sustainable materials
- Often in smaller (local) stores rather than huge chain enterprises
- Locally sourced, produced and sold garments
- Few, specific styles per collection, which are released twice or maximum three times per year.
- Zero Waste
From top end to small scale designers the values that make up the SlowFashion movement suggest a complete overhaul of consuming and production.
This approach has inspired many changes in recent years, particularly in the production of clothing, but also in consumer behaviour. SlowFashion has seen increasing support in the last few years, with an awareness from consumers demanding higher sustainability and ethical standards.
Best Slow Fashion Brands in India
How to Practise Slow Fashion ?
This is surprisingly easier than it looks.
- Begin by giving up the urge to impulse buy.
- Invest in well-made and lasting clothes.
- Shop local
- Buy timeless designs and evergreen styles vs seasonal trends
- Avoid fast fashion brands and particularly green washing brands (brands that say they are sustainable, but you know they are not.)
- Think before you dispose, repair, donate, upcycle.
How Slow Fashion is Different from Sustainable Fashion & Ethical Fashion:
There seems to be a lot of confusion between slow, ethical and sustainable fashion. This is understandable as there is a lot in common, sustainable fashion cannot be sustainable without being ethical, at the same time, what good is slowfashion without being sustainable.
The difference between them lies in their focus. Sustainable Fashion is often concerned with the environmental impact and Ethical fashion is often concerned with human and animal rights.
While slow, ethical and sustainable fashion all describe efforts towards an aspirational goal—rethinking our relationship to clothes—slowfashion combines a brand’s practices with a customer’s shopping habits. The movement works towards creating an industry that benefits the planet and all people.
Over the years, runways across the globe have been addressing environment concerns one theme at a time including Sustainability, Zero Waste and Slow Fashion. While the fashion industry has improved its social and environmental performance. The industry remains far from sustainable.
The Slow Fashion Movement in India
India has a natural head start on slow fashion. Long before the term existed, Indian textile traditions — handloom weaving, khadi spinning, block printing, and natural dyeing — embodied everything the slow fashion movement stands for: local production, durable materials, and garments made to be worn for years, not seasons. Today, that heritage is being revived by a new generation of Indian designers and labels who combine traditional craft with contemporary design, moving away from the mass-produced, trend-driven model that dominates fast fashion retail.
India’s fast fashion boom over the last two decades has come at a real environmental cost — the country is both a major textile manufacturing hub and a growing consumer market for cheap, disposable clothing. In response, a visible slow fashion community has emerged across Indian cities: independent designer labels, khadi revivalists, upcycling studios, and thrift and resale platforms are all part of the same broader shift toward sustainable fashion in India.
How to Shop Slow Fashion
Shopping slow doesn’t mean shopping less exciting — it means shopping more intentionally. A few practical habits make the shift easier:
- Build a capsule wardrobe: a smaller collection of versatile, well-made pieces you can mix and match, instead of chasing every micro-trend.
- Check the fabric label: prioritise natural, breathable fibres like organic cotton, khadi, linen and hemp over synthetic blends that shed microplastics and don’t biodegrade.
- Buy from makers, not just brands: look for labels that disclose who made your clothes and under what conditions — transparency is a strong signal of ethical production.
- Cost-per-wear, not sticker price: a well-made garment worn 100 times works out cheaper — and greener — than a cheap one worn twice.
- Care and repair: proper washing, storage, and small repairs extend a garment’s life dramatically, which is the simplest form of slow fashion.
- Explore resale and thrift: pre-loved clothing platforms are growing fast in India and are one of the lowest-impact ways to refresh a wardrobe.
Indian Slow Fashion Brands Worth Knowing
A growing number of Indian labels are built around slow fashion principles — small-batch production, natural fabrics, fair wages, and design meant to outlast trends. Alongside the brands already covered on Prakati’s list of sustainable fashion brands in India, look out for labels working in handloom cotton, khadi, natural dyes, and zero-waste pattern cutting — these are consistent hallmarks of genuine slow fashion practice, as opposed to brands using “sustainable” as a marketing label without changing how or how much they produce.
When evaluating any brand that claims to be “slow fashion,” look for evidence of small collection sizes, transparent supply chains, and a focus on natural or upcycled materials rather than just recyclable packaging — these are the practices that actually distinguish slow fashion from conventional retail wearing a sustainability label.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Slow Fashion
What is slow fashion in simple words?
Slow fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. It is an approach to clothing that values quality over quantity, ethical production over speed, and long-lasting garments over disposable trends. Slow fashion encourages buying fewer, better-made clothes from brands that treat workers fairly and use sustainable materials.
What is the difference between slow fashion and fast fashion?
Fast fashion produces cheap, trend-driven clothing at high speed, with low wages, poor quality, and massive environmental waste. Slow fashion takes the opposite approach: fewer collections, higher quality materials, fair wages for workers, transparent supply chains, and clothes designed to last years rather than seasons.
How can I start practising slow fashion in India?
Starting slow fashion in India: (1) Buy less, choose well — invest in quality pieces that last; (2) Shop from Indian slow fashion brands like Dressfolk, Aavaran, or Ka-Sha; (3) Buy second-hand from thrift stores or platforms like ThriftUp; (4) Repair and upcycle clothes instead of discarding; (5) Choose natural, sustainable fabrics like khadi, organic cotton, or handloom; (6) Avoid fast fashion sales and trend-chasing.
Is slow fashion more expensive?
Slow fashion garments often cost more upfront because they use quality materials and pay fair wages. However, they are far cheaper in the long run — a ₹3,000 slow fashion kurta that lasts 5 years costs less per wear than five ₹800 fast fashion pieces that pill and fade after 10 washes. The cost-per-wear of slow fashion is typically much lower.
What are the best slow fashion brands in India?
India has a growing slow fashion movement. Top brands include Aavaran (Udaipur-based handloom), Dressfolk (handwoven cotton), Ilamra (sustainable fabrics), Maati by Neha Kabra (sustainable Indian wear), Ka-Sha (zero-waste design), Khamir (Kutch craft textiles), and 11.11/eleven eleven (hand-spun khadi). Each prioritises craftsmanship, locality, and sustainability.