HELP THE SLOW GROW - THE IMPORTANCE OF EXETER’S SLOW FASHION SHOW
Exeter’s Slow Fashion Show, which ran from Tuesday 17th - Saturday 22nd September, shared the importance of resolving the current unsustainable fast pace fashion industry that is consuming our lives. The show was held in Exeter’s stunning cathedral, creating a truly mesmerising atmosphere. The event was designed to celebrate the wide range of fashion and beauty retail across the city, which included high street brands, independent boutiques, vintage traders and leaders all in sustainable fashion. The venue also housed exhibitions and a number of workshops, such as Clothing Repair with Sancho’s, Paper Craft with Wildhive Design, Upcycled headbands with Rivka Jacob Millinery and Jewellery Making with Monty’s Beads.
The event was hosted and founded by Sancho’s, an ethical clothing and lifestyle company based in Exeter, Devon. The company aims to educate and address the harmful nature of the fast fashion industry (read our previous blogpost ‘An eco-friendly face of fashion’ about the issues surrounding this consumerist industry) and help promote up-and-coming ethical brands, their sustainable production and ethical work practises.
It is key to emphasise the purpose of the Slow Fashion Show and its current relevance. Not only was it a wonderful opportunity to share the work of the local, ethically sourced South West brands and give the public a chance to experience creating and crafting themselves, but it was an important reminder that we should constantly be thinking about moving forward into a sustainable fashion industry. We should continue to encourage people to produce and buy ethically sourced clothing, as well as proving that there are brands aside from common retailers that we can use to compose our wardrobes.
Moreover, it is essential to frequently reinforce the importance of how the fast fashion industry is polluting our planet, which is why incredible events such as The Slow Fashion Show happen. As discussed in the article ‘The Fix Fashion Programme’ on the Sancho’s website (July 2019), the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) presented parliament with a report suggesting the minimisation of the effects of the fast fashion industry which was appallingly rejected. Concepts such as adding a 1p tax to garments to invest in textile recycling, banning incineration and landfill of clothing and highlighting the ethical issues surrounding the underpayment of workers in large retail companies, which suggests that 77% of leading retailers in the UK are likely to have had instances of modern slavery, were all mentioned. It is issues like these which the government are not making their priority to resolve that makes events that promote eco-friendly brands, such as Exeter’s Slow Fashion Show, so important for encouraging us to come together and take action as a community that believes in the growth of slow fashion and its ethical values and sustainable living, to help save our planet.
Some of the gorgeous shots from the show, including our very own Sophie Glover of Makers HQ discussing the importance of sustainable business and ethical values:
Article written by Ellie Eveleigh for Makers HQ
Check out the companies here:
https://www.instagram.com/wowsancho/
https://www.instagram.com/theslowfashionshow/
Read more on the topics addressed here:
https://sanchosshop.com/blogs/news/the-fix-fashion-programme
Image sources:
https://www.facebook.com/sanchosshop/