A slow fashion future: the independents’ revolution

Cerys Mason speaks to four young women that run independent online businesses, supporting the gradual shift from fast to sustainable fashion.

If, like me, you have taken to spending the days leisurely scrolling through Depop, focusing more on creating a new wardrobe than on the worldwide pandemic as a coping mechanism, you may have noticed more homemade garments cropping up. Quarantine seems to be an era of creativity in every sense of the word, from swarms of homemade banana breads on every Facebook feed to independent artists documenting their work online. To me, a surge of entrepreneurship has arisen from the banality of lockdown. Gaudy fast fashion ads plastered over Instagram are slowly being replaced with reposts of handmade pieces and links to online shops, and honestly, I am all over it.

Not only is this a huge step in the right direction for supporting local and organic trade, but the quarantine environment has provided creators with an amazing platform to get their businesses going. With more time than ever, limited part-time job options, and a thousand beady eyes on social media, the time seems right to make a profit from doing what you love while promoting a post-lockdown future of independent shopping.

The fashion world in particular has the potential to soar into a new dimension of upcycled accessories and zero-waste coordinating outfits. Lockdown has slowed whole societies down, giving us more time to think about where our clothes are coming from. You can’t just rush into the nearest Primark to find a cute emergency outfit anymore, so where do you turn? The answer is becoming less about the fastest delivery service and more about a cleaner conscience in knowing how the package got to your door.

Emily, a first year fashion student from Bournemouth, has taken her love for sustainable fashion to the next level with her new business ‘Studio Zipcode’, which sells a variety of loungewear, festival garments and accessories, all made from home-dyed cotton and deadstock fabric. “I make everything in batches, with my own draft patterns and quality controls, but it’s so time consuming,” she confesses. “Honestly, the first thing I’m doing after lockdown is getting a chiropractor because I spend all day sewing!”

Luckily, an abundance of time to expand the brand is exactly what she’s got. “I’ve kick-started the business in a way that would never have been possible before, and people are really supportive of the wait times because they know I’m making sure their clothes are sustainable and of the best quality possible. Everything’s just kind of exploding – it’s really fun.”

With prior experience showcasing her eco creations to the world, Emily has been able to gather a strong following on social media and use ambassadors to spread her message. “My coolest project was the collab I did with Nattie, the lead singer of Fickle Friends, in 2018. We designed her outfits for the band’s tour, which she wanted to be unique pieces to wear time and time again. Nattie was exhausted of being expected to wear loads of different outfits and hated wasting the fabric – she still buys my products now.”

Unfortunately, not everyone seems to have this outlook. “I really hate fast fashion brands because they don’t take responsibility at all, and the working conditions in sweatshops are awful,” Emily says. “It’s annoying because there are other big brands who work consciously and give people employment without the damage. I’d love to work full-time on Zipcode in the future, but I would never use a factory – the ‘in-house’ method is so much better.”

But it’s clear that we still have a long way to go to make this the norm. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t think our generation are supportive enough of slow fashion. We’re all told the facts and we all know the impact our habits have on the planet, but people love consumption and can’t stop.” Emily hopes that, by reaching out to her target market of young women through the thriving platform of Instagram, we can slowly change how we see fashion from a hobby to an indulgence.

However, quarantine has made one aspect of online selling exceedingly difficult: photoshoot promotion. Without the liberty to create an online catalogue of her products, Emily must rely on her own candid poses and other kind customers sending in photos. She’s not alone in facing this challenge - Mia, creator of the quirky bandana ‘Loony Club’ business, has also struggled in visually promoting her products, but through the exposure that Instagram and Depop have given her, has been successful in reaching out to her audience. “This generation of girls are super engaged with keeping on trend, and people have more time on their hands to help out smaller brands, which has been amazing,” she says.

Mia’s bandanas, which are sustainably sourced and carefully handmade by her, were the result of business brainstorming throughout early lockdown. “I choose to shop mostly in charity shops and upcycle old clothes from my mum’s wardrobe anyway, so creating my own business has been a great way to support independent fashion. I just think homemade products keep fashion so much more fun and personal! There’s a lot more coverage of it in the media at the moment, and it’s so fulfilling to be a part of.”

Although quarantine has presented some challenges, including sourcing fabric that she’s “completely happy with”, Mia is looking to take advantage of the new online landscape of selling. “I’m working on a website at the moment so I can swap over from Depop to my own space. Who knows what the future could bring for my business!”

While social media has given many an opportunity to grow their business, high street shops without an online presence are struggling financially due to temporary closures. “It’s upsetting to see so many family-owned businesses struggling,” says Constance, owner of the cosmetics brand ‘llpgloss’. “Everyone’s going to need a strong online presence to survive lockdown. The international aspect of online shopping also makes sustainability really hard to stick to, but hopefully local brands will be protected and supported in the future – it’s so important to have that personal feel.”

Having already gained a large following from her makeup account, Constance made the transition to a business in June last year, and in doing so has learnt a lot about managing an online brand. “It’s really hard to be completely independent and sustainable in the cosmetics industry, but I try as much as I can to do my bit for the planet.”

With products ranging from fake eyelashes to lip glosses to makeup brushes, Constance focuses on making connections with her customers. “I’ve decided to go down the accessories route because they're a lot easier to make personal, which you don’t get with more mainstream makeup products. I make the lip glosses myself in my kitchen, for example, with different pigments, gloss bases and glitters. It makes such a mess! I won’t be able to experiment much when I go to uni in September, but I definitely want to make more products by hand in the future.”

Given that many of these new independent sellers are from the student body, university constraints will have an impact on the industry post-quarantine. Amber, a jewellery-maker who struggled with managing workload and creativity last year, admits that she started her business in lockdown as “a creative outlet which I felt I had really lacked in university.” Her business, ‘Vanilla in Vienna’, specialises in handmade seed-beaded jewellery pieces, and has been growing rapidly on Depop and Instagram in the last few months. “Each piece is unique, and I love experimenting with new charms for my custom orders.”

Amber has also benefited from the support of fellow creators: “It really is a friendly community, and I’m really excited to see where everything goes and how engagement changes. I think it’s quite a mixed bag with our generation – some people are more interested in homemade fashion than others. It’s definitely a far cry from the fast fashion world.”

One thing is certain: 2020 is a time for change, and fashion will change with it. There are so many possibilities to shop less, invest more, and be able to tell a story about each individual piece in our wardrobe, all the while supporting the environment and limiting sweatshop exploitation. These two huge issues are ones that we as consumers still turn a remarkably blind eye to, and ones that we can prevent with even the smallest boycott of fast fashion. Supporting independents will not only achieve this, but will make fashion a beautiful and personal industry to enjoy once more. As Emily says, “In a world of trends, having something uniquely yours is the most exciting concept.”

A slow fashion future: the independents’ revolution

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