What is slow fashion?
Slow fashion is the opposite to fast fashion. It’s about making sustainable purchases, re-wearing, mending, and upcycling clothing.
The following resources will help you on your Ōtepoti Dunedin slow fashion journey:
- Take yourself on a tour of the pre-loved clothing stores in and around Ōtepoti Dunedin using Your Guide to Otepoti Dunedin’s Pre-loved Clothing Stores.
- Need some inspiration? A Slow Fashion booklist provided by our Dunedin City Library colleagues about how to repair, mend and upcycle your clothing is available below:
- Make, thrift, mend: Stitch, patch, darn, plant-dye & love your wardrobe - Katrina Rodabaugh
- Wear, repair, repurpose: A maker’s guide to mending and upcycling clothes - Lily Fulop.
- The embroidered closet: modern hand-stitching for upgrading and upcycling your wardrobe - Alexandra Stratkotter.
- Sustainable wardrobe: Practical advice and projects for eco-friendly fashion - Sophie Benson.
- The refashion handbook: refit, redesign, remake for everybody - Beth Huntington.
- Born-again vintage: 25 ways to deconstruct, reinvent and recycle your wardrobe - Bridgett Artise and Jen Karetnick.
- Dressmaking: The easy guide - Helen Rhiannon.
- The great British sewing bee: Sustainable style - Alexander Bruce & Caroline Akselson.
- Simple tailoring & alterations - J. Francois-Campbell.
- Knitty gritty: for absolute beginner knitter - Aneeta Patel.
How about hosting your own clothing swap with friends, family, or neighbours at home. Here’s how:
- Pick a space. Make it social and ask people to bring a plate of kai to share.
- Limit the number of pieces people can bring or go all in and have no limit. Ask everyone to bring items of clothing that are in good condition.
- Make the pieces shine by putting them on display on a clothing rack or a table.
- Let the swap begin. Let people take what they want or have an exchange system – bring one item, take one item in return.
- Donate any remaining items, which are in good condition, to your local op shop.