Fast Fashion, Raw Denim and Conscious Consumption

I always believed in dressing for where you want to be, not where you are today. As such, I sometimes find myself forcibly introducing Ms. Fabulously-New-Frock into the closet, and have it naturally cozy up with some of my mature, older ‘friends’. Although this fresh, chic and popular ‘friend’ is a great fit and mingles well with the existing collection of personalities – sporty, edgy, glamorous, playful, fun and sexy – a few too many new introductions can result in additional closet cleanses well beyond the typical seasonal purging.

Simply put, fast fashion brings the retail price of trendy goods down, making it easier on the pockets to place our hard-earned cash on more frequent indulgences.

With an environmental conscious, consumers can start feeling buyers’ remorse and seek for pieces that have been made with ‘recycled materials’. Some may even gravitate towards staple pieces that can survive those seasonal purges.

I was recently invited to attend an event about The Raw Roots of Denim held at Sydney’s – the first of five innovative presentations on ‘Conscious Consumption’ by the Textile Museum of Canada. I couldn’t say no. After all, jeans have survived every fashion cycle, lasted for decades and is singlehandedly one of the most worn articles of clothing in the world!

Every friend, child, parent, teen and even grand-parent I know own a pair of jeans. They can be casually worn with sneakers, or dressed up with a great pair of shoes and a suit jacket. Not to mention, people are always seeking for the perfect pair that will flatter their butt, fit their hips, make their legs look lean, yet doesn’t give them a muffin-top. To add environmentally friendly to this check list seems crazy, but a good shopper is ready for a challenge when it arises.

Conscious Consumption challenges us to think about what we wear or what we eat and how this affects fair trade, artists, craft, production and local globalization. Sydney, the host of The Raw Roots of Demin and designer of United jeans, share his experience and knowledge of consciously producing jeans that are of great quality and well-made.

The beauty of raw denim is the unique lines that are created by your personal habits over time. The individual characteristics make each pair you wear and own different from everyone elses, as though they were custom designed to suit your taste and personality. United, Sydney’s label, embraces the Japanese wabisabi philosophy and the natural aging of jeans.

When being more conscious, you cut jeans closer to the edge and use more salvage denim. The jeans are cut in one piece and you’re saving time and less waste. More money is paid to the workers and less margin does to the designers. Although a pair of United raw denim jeans can cost $150, it’s still less costly than some of the designer denim on the market. Plus, you’re getting a pair of jeans that are unique to your habits and characteristics. You can’t beat that, can you?