Designers say that the society is changing and so should the fashion industry. Out with the old, in with the new. The industry has to adapt to the ever-growing insatiability of the new generation. After all, we are always on the lookout for the next big thing and get bored easily once it’s here. In a world of constant visual stimulation and disposability, we are expecting all elements of modern life to keep up with our nonstop lifestyle. Ken Downing, fashion director of Neiman Marcus has said: “We live in an ADD (attention deficit disorder) society.”

The concept of “buy now, wear now” is on the rise with fashion brands worldwide. The practice has been around for quite some time already, sported by bigger players like Zara, and is now catching on to brands of smaller scale like Everlane or Tamara Mellon. This principle of “buy now, wear now” means that instead of four big seasonal deliveries per year, there is a continuous influx of new designs. A glorified name for fast fashion, the concept caters to the whims of the consumer and does not regard the consequences of the long run.

Cheap prices have rendered clothing disposable, so we do not think twice about a new purchase.

Did you know that consumers in the United Kingdom have approximately £30 billion worth of unworn clothes in their closets and that each year about 10.5 million tons of fabric end up in landfills in America alone? Cheap prices have rendered clothing disposable, so we do not think twice about a new purchase. Quantity is valued over quality, supported by a label’s constant supply of fresh items. Therefore, fashion is becoming equal to fresh produce, consumable right away, but only prior to the “best before” date. Low production quality reduces the lifecycle of a clothing item considerably. But that is everything fashion and clothing should not stand for.

Clothing should be a shelter for your body, durable and comfortable, protecting it from the outside forces. A purchase is more than often triggered by emotions, nurtured by our society’s mentality of “treat yourself”. Wouldn’t it be fabulous if that new shirt of yours would last longer than a month, a season, a year?

A glorified name for fast fashion, the concept caters to the whims of the consumer and does not regard the consequences of the long run.

Not all aspects of life need to be driven by instant gratification. There is a hidden beauty in taking your time, getting to know the story and the journey of an individual piece. And slow fashion allows us to rediscover that beauty. Before your next purchase, take a step back and think about it. After growing attached to an item, wouldn’t you want to cherish it for as long as possible, not have to watch it disintegrate wear after wear until it’s deemed worthless? Supporting the slow fashion movement, TWOL24, the platform for independent labels, offers a wide variety of goods you can comfortably get attached to.