Slow Fashion and the Craft Sector

It's slow yet it leaves a trace

- Namratha Othayoth

Fashion in terms of Slow Fashion and Crafts. Let's make a change by going Slow , let's leave a trace like a snail so that other people know which path to choose, let's be an example, let's be a Snail. This project is called the snail as it depicts slow fashion which even though takes time it leaves it traces back to history and the coming generation to follow, the snail which leads the way and makes the change.

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What is Slow Fashion?

Our clothes play an Important role in our society, It has been so since a long time. In the earlier days clothing used to convey value, even people who had money could sometimes not buy clothing just because there was not enough available. There has been a huge change in the fashion industry over the last 50 years. The lack of clothing is no longer a problem now, the surplus production of clothing has resulted in a huge reduction of prices and now a person could buy a tee which costs less than a cup of coffee. Right of the bat this might sound unproblematic but if we dive deeper this excessive production has led way to huge risks over the world, In our country up to 45,000 meters of fabric waste is produced on a daily basis, this is alarming, this is not the world we wish to live in. Fast Fashion has also tremendously reduced the quality of the products as well as durability. This is where slow fashion comes,

Slow fashion is all about creating, as well as shopping for higher quality items that are designed to last. The growing movement encourages a variety of sustainable practices, including forming a connection with the environment and reducing toxins and waste. The principles of slow fashion include: sustainable materials, fewer collections, fair trade, minimising waste, making great use of resources and transparency.

The button will take you to a blog by The Pearl Source Blog, that dives deeper into how you can start your slow fashion journey.

In the case of our country , India is a country with an ancient history. The crafts of this country are diverse and are a reflection of the country’s cultural heritage. According to Dasra, the craft industry provides millions of artisans with employment and is one of the largest small scale or cottage industries. For centuries, these craft communities have specialised in traditions that are specific to the regions and respective skills, which have been handed down from generations of artisans. Yet in recent years, this sector faces a major threat as a result of growing preference for mass produced designs that are cheap and easy to afford. This has contributed to the steady decline of craft based products. This, alongside a lack of knowledge of new innovative ways to design, and decreasing demand for their products have left the craftspeople very vulnerable and has posed a big threat to their sustainable livelihoods.

Since craft activities are very informal, there is an urgent need to organise this sector and build consumers interest in craft by sensitising them to their history and value as a cultural tradition that needs to be preserved. Ranjan and Ranjan (2009) suggest that evolving crafts to cater to open economies as a result of globalisation, is the need of the hour such that it can provide a fresh perspective to this traditional knowledge. This can be used to support the welfare and economic sustainability of the artisans practicing these traditions in their villages.

“There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness”

– Mahatma Gandhi.

Recently I visited Iringal Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village Kerala, I happened to talk to artisans who worked there. Many artisans said that the products they make took about a week to months to make. Later on when I asked them about the revenue they get it was barely in between a few 100s to 1000s, which was heart breaking. The product they make involves too much patience and handwork and whatever they get from selling them is a bare minimum of what they do. Due to the growing fast fashion people also tend to move to a even less price range products, which not only pollutes but takes away opportunities from the artisans. Slow fashion and the craft sector goes hand in hand , local artisans being an important part of slow fashion. By promoting slow fashion we are not only curating sustainability we are also helping the craft community, we are buying more durable products and by supporting slow fashion we are promoting change.

My Visit to a Craft Cluster

Recently I visited Iringal Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village Kerala, I happened to talk to artisans who worked there. Many artisans said that the products they make took about a week to months to make. Later on when I asked them about the revenue they get it was barely in between a few 100s to 1000s, which was heart breaking. The product they make involves too much patience and handwork and whatever they get from selling them is a bare minimum of what they do. Due to the growing fast fashion people also tend to move to a even less price range products, which not only pollutes but takes away opportunities from the artisans. Slow fashion and the craft sector goes hand in hand , local artisans being an important part of slow fashion. By promoting slow fashion we are not only curating sustainability we are also helping the craft community, we are buying more durable products and by supporting slow fashion we are promoting change.

This link will take you the website on Iringal Sargaalaya Arts and Craft village.