I’m really quite thrilled to share with you that I’ll be walking alongside the gals at Lady Farmer to join in their five week #slowlivingchallenge. Each week carries a new theme with practices and intentions for building a more sustainable and healthy lifestyle.

My heart is so in line with this idea, and I’m filled with joy for the opportunity and push to put so much of what inspires me into words and share them in this space.

Week One of the challenge is focused on Slow Fashion. Slow fashion defined, “ is an awareness and approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make clothing, particularly focusing on sustainability. It involves buying better-quality garments that will last for longer and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet.” Be sure to click here for a more in depth look at the cost of your clothes from an ethical and environmental perspective.

And for those of you who’d like to know a little bit more of my own story, you may read away to your hearts content.

It was around four years ago when I was first confronted by a friend with the idea of ethical fashion. I was intrigued, but not yet at a place where I was willing to give up the privilege to purchase my favorite Madewell jeans. I did a touch of research on the concept and was quickly derailed by the price tags associated with the practice. While my heart hadn’t yet made the important connection, that little nudge stayed with me.

As sustainable and slow living continued to pique my interest, and small changes made their way in and out of my home, slow fashion eventually found its way back around to forefront my heart. Only this time, I had a deeper understanding of my why behind it all. With every little effort toward slow living, I found more and more interconnectedness between my choices and the natural world. I could no longer ignore or justify the cost of convenience ~ But I’m afraid that in itself is a rather wordy story— how I came to acknowledge the importance of slow fashion and why I cannot go back to my old ways of consumerism. I’ll do my best to bring those words to life and share them soon..

The idea of slow fashion as a whole can feel overwhelming and daunting, so I thought I’d a few ideas and resources I’ve come back to time and again. My hope in all of this is to help alleviate the supposed burdens, and highlight the joys and blessings.

IMPLEMENTING SLOW FASHION

One of the most common arguments I hear against the slow fashion movement is the cost of goods. But be encouraged, this isn’t about doing away your entire wardrobe to replace it with ethically and sustainably made garments all at once. It’s really as simple as a shift in consumeristic perspective. Rather than shopping for “more”, you shift your intentions to only buying what + when you are in need. In the mean time, it’s a great idea to have a go to list of resources for where to buy when the need arises.
Secondly, while it would be lovely to have the financial means to make every needed purchase from slow fashion brands, that’s not entirely possible for many, myself included. In fact, when my husband and I first made the commitment to change our consumer habits, our first practice was to purchase our needs second hand. This is a great way to save money for those “dream items” on your list, while filling needs and reducing consumer waste.
Capsule wardrobes are a popular and recommended option to begin looking at your wardrobe in a new way. I don’t follow an exact capsule method, but I’ve applied many of the principles to my wardrobe, only owning what I wear on a regular basis—which roughly includes two pairs of jeans, one pair of overalls, six dresses, three tee shirts, three long sleeve shirts, a couple button down shirts, and a few more sweaters than I need (but most of them are wool, so I hung onto a couple extra knowing they would wear down over time, and I didn’t want to get rid of what I already loved, only to purchase it again shortly). Pairing my wardrobe down this far was a lengthy and somewhat challenging process. It was easy to let go of anything I wasn’t wearing or didn’t care to wear. But then I was confronted with pieces I really liked, but hadn’t worn since becoming a mother, as both my body and lifestyle changed and not all clothes were suitable, no matter how much I loved them before. Lastly, there were a number of things I was undecided on because they were out of season, so I let them be to see how I’d feel when the season came back around. After months of practicing this method of dressing, I found it was easier part with the clothes I hadn’t touched, and bagged up the majority of the extra clothes I had previously held onto.
I’ve learned the less I have to choose from the happier I am with what I choose. And it curbs almost all interest in buying more, because there’s so much peace of mind and heart in less clutter (we are, after all tiny dwellers, living in an RV), and each and everything I have fits into my lifestyle. Eliminating the burden of too many choices has been such a time and energy saver—one I am so grateful for. That doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally dream of owning a favorite slow fashion dress that pops up in my email or instagram feed from time to time, but I know it’s going to be an investment into myself, the small shop, and the planet, and each of those are worth saving and waiting for.
As for Jane & Lucy’s wardrobe (age 2.5), I approach it the same way as my own. When they were little, they had an overabundance of clothes. Between my own fanciful desires for all the cute things, and grandmas who love to spoil their little dollies, It was a disaster trying to store everything (even when we lived in a real sized house). Many outfits were only worn once or twice, as my children have spent most of their lives roaming in diapers, undies, pajamas, or no clothes at all. I’ve come to learn they only need about two dresses , three pairs of tights, two or three sweaters, two overalls, three pair of pajamas—which can also double as a base layers, and two pairs of shoes each.
If you are the creatively inclined, there’s a special kind of magic when you give yourself over to the process of making your own clothing. Not only does it change your entire perspective on the time it takes to to make a garment and the cost of materials, but the glow you feel in wearing something crafted by your own hands is something special to be sure. Even if you don’t sew yet, if you have an inkling of a desire to learn, I wholeheartedly encourage you to do so.

And just for the fun of it, I’d love to share a little of my sewing story.

When my girls were born, I was determined to learn to sew. I’ve always been a sentimentalist about handmade works, and the idea of adorning my girls in little touches lovingly made by their mama, sent my heart soaring. When the girls were around four weeks old, I borrowed a sewing machine, purchased a Peter Pan collar dress pattern off Etsy, pulled out some linen I had folded away in my crafting supplies, and struggled away at two and three o clock in the morning when the girls would give me a hopeful three hours of sleep. I got to the end of my wonky little dress, only to find that I had sewed the skirt to the bodice inside out. I was too exhausted to take it apart and attach it correctly, but I slid the “completed” work on my little Jane Bird, snapped a picture of the first dress I ever made, folded that little treasure up, and tucked it away as a reminder that all endeavors have a beginning and I will get better in time. After that dress, I downsized my projects to simpler endeavors such as bows, bonnets, and bloomers. I made dozens of them and eventually I regained my confidence and finally made their dresses, and hundreds of other little things.

After two years of sewing for my girls, opening a little shop and sewing children’s wears and toys, I finally (literally last month), worked up the courage to sew a dress for myself. I’ve been dreaming of having this ability long before children, but somehow I always talked myself out of believing I was capable. I’ve since made a second dress, and have a third and fourth in my project queue.

And with all of that, I sincerely hope that you’ll find an idea or two that resonate or presents an attainable starting point. I hope that that you’ll come to recognize this lifestyle is a journey and a process, and all the better if you don’t rush it. Be intentional with one choice at a time, as soon as that practice becomes a habit, another will follow, and in time, you’ll be delighted to see how far you’ve come. Connect with others whose hearts align, and be kind-hearted to friends and family that don’t follow suit or understand your why. And perhaps most importantly, uncover your WHY. Know wholeheartedly why this decision is important to you. And use that why as a guiding light when you are faced with the frustrations of living counter culture. You’ll find joy beyond measure when following your heart and making intentional choices that matter. But you will also find yourself in moments where it really would be easier if you could just “shop like everyone else”. And for those days, I say to have grace on yourself. And for the times you feel like you don’t have another option because you just weren’t prepared enough to make the purchase how you’d want, so your left with a need that has to be filled otherwise, have grace there too. It doesn’t make you bad or fraudulent. It makes you a human on a journey, realizing how many good changes you’ve made, and how much your heart really is connected to the purpose behind it all. And that alone is a beautiful blessing.

I’ll finish this lengthy entry with a handful of linked resources for favorite shops, patterns, and additional resource. And I’ll be sure to sure to share more of my backstory as well as current and future goals Cheers to your journey, my darlings, and thank you sincerely for joining along for this journey.

Slow Fashion Brands I Love: Son de flor, KD Bird, Christy Dawn, Mouse in the House, Chasing Windmills, Tortoise and the Hare, Zimmerman shoes, ARQ

Second Hand Shopping: Local thrift shops, Instagram thrift shops (like @fiveclementinesvintage), Etsy, Poshmark, Ebay, threadUP

Sewing pattern resources: Farbrics-Store.com, Etsy, Joann Fabrics

Additional Resources: Lady Farmer, These Native Goods

If you have any comments, questions, or otherwise, please leave a comment either here or Instagram where we can all go deeper into this conversation. And if you want to participate in the Lady Farmer #slowlivingchallenge, click here to sign up and receive a weekly email with prompts and encouragement for living a more sustainable and healthy life.

Intentional Living: Slow Fashion