Starting to be aware x

Chun Ka Shek Memorial Park

Ok. It has been a while since my first and only post. Truth to be told, I almost gave up in having a blog. Especially with so much stuff that I have been doing here in Taiwan!

But I have been doing a lot of research and since I am really interested in Textile and Sustainable Design, I realized that there are just way to many blogs that interests me and I do want to follow.

One of my courses is Fashion Seminar and my final project is to present a seminar…I have chosen to research about Sustainable Fashion in Brazil and its natural recourses.

Found some good websites (mentioned on the ‘following’ list).

It’s the first time that I am learning about something like this and I can’t find the right words to express how excited and thrilled this makes me.

For the first time I feel that I can truly help the World (I used to think that yeah, I will help the World…but was more like a hope. Now its like YEAHHH!)

Here are some parts of my assignment paper about Slow Fashion:

Slow fashion can promote sustainability in fashion industry

Urban life emphasizes the need to monitor and update one's self-performance. This imperative to be self-conscious is a distinguishing feature of modernity, and is so naturalized that each of us plays multiple roles and has various styles of appearance on the understanding that the assertion of identity through appearance is a matter of constant urgency. Thus, fashion industries are deeply implicated in the manufacture of ‘personality’ and ‘needs’ to be fast and in constant change to satisfy all different tastes. However, these tastes are constantly being influenced by advertisings, therefore, in constant change.

The World is tending to follow an ambitious attitude where people constantly want more and more. Principles and ideals have been replaced for materialism and individualism, leading the society a want to compete. Compete to ‘look good’ or ‘have the latest item’. This conducts us to a world that produces more, uses more resources and by the end, wastes more (lack of concern for environmental issues).

Cheaper garments are made (human exploration), consequently a low quality is handed and more money is used.

Based on what was just said, the word ‘Slow fashion’, becomes a contradictive term since ‘fashion’ is related to ‘change’ and ‘speed’.

‘Slow fashion’ can be considered as a movement. A movement that redefines the ‘fashion’ ideal. A movement based on the making of clothes and identity instead of ‘image’ and ‘looking good’. Is a slower approach to reconfigure and make people think about things that really matters in the world.

‘Slow fashion’ is a sustainable approach based on new design strategies, production, use and re-use considering environmental issues.

However, since quality is related to accessibility, people have to educate them self’s, search for the essence of whatever they are going to buy. They will need to redefine their needs and priorities in order to have a more emotional connection to each piece they purchase.

It wont be just about physical durability but also about emotional durability.

People will value what they have, and value the work of who made it (with ‘slow fashion’ the re-use of available resources and hand made products it would become a common practice).

Slow Fashion is not just a new design approach. It is also a new strategy to bring the world together, changing ideals and really reconsider what we already have and re-use it.