At Fácil Blanco, our brand ethos has always been centred around our commitment to designing beautiful pieces that will last a lifetime. We do not associate our brand with throwaway fashion pieces. We are proud to be a part of the revolutionary “slow fashion movement” which is fast becoming a focus in many production industries, especially within the global fashion world.
What Is Slow Fashion
Slow fashion is the alternative to fast fashion, with the term first coined by Kate Fletcher in 2007. The expression is used to describe a more eco-friendly and ethical view and practice of producing and selling clothing.
Unlike fast fashion, the slow fashion movement advocates for good quality textiles and garments, a clean environment and fairness for both consumers and producers. This philosophy is achieved by brands that produce textiles and garments of a high quality that are made to last, from organic materials using low footprint production techniques, while also paying a fair wage to those who make the garments.
The Effect of Fashion on the Environment & the World
In a world too occupied with throwaway culture, fast fashion garments are now contributing to more climate change than air and sea travel combined. The cost of clothing becoming so cheap has encouraged “single use” purchases within the fashion industry – a concept which really has little to no benefit for the environment, consumers and producers.
Here are some scary facts about fast fashion:
- More than half of all items are thrown away in less than a year
- In 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from textiles production globally totalled 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2equivalent
- Less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing globally is recycled into new clothing, with only 12% recycled into other products such as insulation or mattress stuffing
Many textiles also wreak havoc on the environment during both their growth as fibres in a field, to their manufacturing process in a warehouse. Between the pesticides used, the amount of water required and greenhouse gas emissions, it is detrimental on such an economy of scale as seen in the fast fashion movement.
However, there are other negative consequences to consider as well. Cheap, fast fashion results in low paid workers in many countries around the world that are unable to provide for their families and work in poor conditions.
“We are not saying to people on a low income you can’t buy cheap clothes. We are saying it is time that the cost should reflect the true cost of the minimum wage and decent working conditions and growing stuff without pesticides. It needs to be sustainable from top to bottom and we don’t think the true cost is a $5 dress. That price is not being paid by us, it is being paid by someone else and the environment.”
- Mary Creagh
Our Place in the Slow Fashion Movement
Our Place in the Slow Fashion Movement At Fácil Blanco, we only work with the highest quality 100% natural linen. Technically, flax which forms the basis of linen is a vegetable, made from fibres that grow inside of the flax plant. Flax is a very sustainable resource, able to grow in poor soil (requiring significantly less water to produce than cotton) and with little to no need for pesticides. There is also little waste in the harvesting process, which you can read more about in our ‘Linen is Forever’ blog.
The flax plant also grows beautiful blue flowers known as Saphyr. They bloom at dawn and close in the same day. A field of these amazing blue flowers looks like a reflection of the sky.
All of our garments are constructed using quality methods and exceptional tailoring, which when combined with our quality linen fabrics, ensures clothing that is designed to last. On average, linen garments will last 3 decades and in fact only get more beautiful with age.
Our motto is “Fashion for Life” styles designed with simplicity and comfort in mind, fabric sourced from Italy to last for years, and craftsmanship we are proud of. We hope you enjoy our small selection of images that depict the natural beauty and earthiness of flax, the plant we love.
We are the Masters Of Linen, supporting Fashion for Life.
We are the Masters Of Linen, supporting Fashion for Life.Statistics and quotes from The Guardian: "Is fast fashion giving way to the sustainable wardrobe?", images from Fibre Shed Melbourne, Barn and Willow, Pinterest and the web.