Being a Slow Fashion brand

Here at The Thin Line, being a ‘slow fashion’ brand isn’t something we refer to ourselves as lightly.

The term itself which was coined by Kate Fletcher at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion back in 2007, is one that, to an extent was inspired by the practices of artisanal crafts that our products represent.

We’ll be going into the details of how we incorporate slow fashion practices within The Thin Line and touch on how the brands we stock design with a slow, mindful approach.

What makes TTL a Slow Fashion brand?

Firstly it’s our depth of range; if you’ve had a look through our range, you’ll have noticed that there are a handful of styles across the clothing and accessories categories. The intention behind small buys is to deliver what we consider is timeless, whether that's the clothing, bags, shoes, or jewellery. These pieces will therefore stay up online until they have sold through.

Secondly, it is how most of the textiles of the clothes have been made. In our current collection, 91% of all products that use textiles, are made from handwoven fabrics.

This means that to produce the fabric for those pieces, no carbon omitting machinery is used and the entire process is done entirely by hand. Therefore these pieces are made ‘slowly’.

Hand spinning yarn

All of these fabrics are also made from natural fibres (silk, cotton, wool, or a mix), which are spun into yarn by hand on what is known in India as a ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel), before moving on to being woven on a handloom.

"In our current collection, 91% of all products that use textiles, are made from handwoven fabrics."

What sets such textile processes and therefore garments apart is the quality produced through the combination of using natural fibres and hand techniques. This quality comes in the form of durability, precision, and choice of yarns used by artisans when weaving. With quality being a recognised characteristic of slow fashion, we’re certain that our collection provides it.

Handloom weaving & the slow process:

Historically, handloom has existed in India since between 3250- 2750 BC. The practice of weaving has been passed down through generations as a trade, with designs varying in each region.

Weaving on a handloom is a slow process in itself, where artisans skillfully go through the motions of interlacing the warp (length-wise) with the weft (width-wise). It is solely the artisan's energy which produces the length of fabric with zero use of electricity and no carbon footprint in the process.

Our brands have adopted a slow approach to designing by turning to the traditional methods of hand-weaving. They either source handwoven fabrics by partnering with local weaving communities or by producing them in-house. Often the length of fabric produced is dependent on the number of garments the brands will need to make from it, therefore estimated lengths are given to ensure reduced wastage.

Here is a pick of our handwoven styles:

White River Shirt

Cotton White 'River' Shirt
Relaxed fit merino wool trousers
Triangle organiser clutch
Why Wardrobe Staples are integral to our collection:

Curating a collection of Wardrobe Staples is key to our decision making when choosing styles from brands.

We believe that consuming mindfully is a form of slow fashion when you think about how often you will wear those pieces, how versatile and timeless they are to pair with other pieces in your wardrobe.

Our goal isn’t to encourage continuous consumption but to provide those ‘go-to’ pieces to your wardrobe that are effortless and habitual enough to slip on any day. Here are a few things to consider when picking such staples:

  • Can it be styled in several different ways with other pieces in your wardrobe?
  • Is it a timeless/ trend-less piece that you can come back to even after 5 years?
  • Do you know you will love and care for it enough to keep for years to come?
  • Is it a piece you know you will wear on any given day without having to think too much?
  • Does it have the functionalities that you know you require? (Especially when it comes to trousers, jackets, and bags).

Hopefully, these key questions will be a decider for you and slow down fashion consumption as a result.

Caring for the items you purchase is equally important to ensure the longevity of the product and therefore preventing the need to consume a replacement for it or letting it end up in a landfill. We’re working closely with brands to give you the best tips for various materials within our range. Check out our ‘Keep Caring’ page for some of these tips and we’ll keep updating it with more.

We hope this insight into what slow fashion means for us as a brand and how we’re going about practicing it has left you feeling better informed about The Thin Line. We’re always open to having conversations, hearing your thoughts, or answering any questions, so if you’d like to, please feel free to email us at hello@the-thinline.com.

 

Image of artisan spinning cotton is courtesy of Sneha Bagrecha.

 

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