Declaring November a month of slow fashion is all well and good, but what exactly is the movement and where did it start?

Originally a creative challenge, compelling artists to spend the whole month slowly crafting something beautiful, the concept of Slowvember has more recently been adopted by green-thinking retailers.

Pre-pandemic, the Guardian reported that Black Friday causes a vast spike in air pollution and plastic waste. Little wonder that Greenpeace launched an alternative to shopping, encouraging people to make or upcycle (instead of shopping).

Thus the aim of Slowvember is to stop before you shop and support sustainable fashion, specifically in the face of Black Friday and the manufactured hype of over-consumerism.

Slow fashion is all about consuming less, therefore reducing demand, production and the associated pollution. Whether that’s breathing life into old clothes by upcycling them, changing up your look with a clothes swap, thrift shopping, or sticking to a succinct capsule wardrobe – it’s all about ‘taking back’ Black Friday.  

The Slowvember message is gaining traction as attitudes begin to change. This November, perhaps we can all start promoting collective ethical consumerism and say no to those Black Friday impulse purchases. Buying less, higher quality fashion pieces in a selective and thoughtful way.