How has it been this long again?! The last you heard of me was my frustrations in the R&D world and how many iterations we had been doing. Fast forward a few months and I am basking in a glow of pride. I have achieved something. Okay, it’s not quite what I set out to achieve yet (and we are still working away on that), but we have designed and produced a pair of shoes that I can wear.
The Fashion Industry is Ready
The one thing successful people have in common
There are days in everyone’s life in which we lack self confidence and the uphill road seems as though it’ll never end. We have a vision for the future and sometimes this becomes a bit murky and we wonder how on earth we’re going to get there from our current situation. The good news is this is completely normal and you are not alone in these thoughts.
The Rise of Slow-Fashion
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But first…fast fashion:
Over the past couple of decades, our fashion habits have been fuelled by the catwalk at high street prices. This has been driven by high street brands manufacturing clothes at lightning speed to keep up with the trends. The downside to this however, is that trends are just that – trends. They don’t last long and before you know it, your whole wardrobe isn’t ‘cool’ anymore.
This leads to consumers discarding their clothes almost as quickly as they bought them, and unfortunately this ends up in landfill, or is incinerated.
What are the Environmental Impacts associated with Fast Fashion:
But where does that leave the environment? Not in a very good place it seems. Over the last 20 years the increased speed of clothing and footwear production has seen a huge impact on our planet and according to Codo Girl, over 1.2 billion tons of CO2 is being emitted each year.
In order to make these clothes quickly, the use of man-made fibres such as polyester and nylon has increased. According to the Textile Exchange, polyester production accounted for over 50% of all fibre production in 2018 . Since this material is man-made, it cannot biodegrade. Over 73% of all disposals are dumped in landfill and can sit there for up to 200 years.
So what can we do to help slow fashion?
There has been a dialogue around ‘slow fashion’ for a few years now which puts emphasis on the quality of product over price point. Bigger fast fashion brands are starting to get some bad press around their sustainability efforts and the damage they are causing not only to the planet but also to their workers. All for profits.
This is not right. We all live on this planet and we all deserve an eco-system which works with us, not one we are at war with for the sake of a higher dividend at the end of the year. Of course, business exists to make money but those profits should go directly back into reaching a sustainable supply chain which in turn will make the product more desirable.
Lucy Rose and Slow Fashion:
Here at Lucy Rose, we put huge emphasis on the quality of materials used and longevity of the shoes. These are not to be worn once and tossed out to landfill. These are to be cherished, loved and respected. Just as those who make them should be too.
Until next time,
Em x
Human Connection
This blog post is going to be as humanly raw as possible. I’m going to open myself up and let you into my real world. Let’s start with a Lucy Rose update. We are working on the LR5 (or fifth prototype) which will be better than the last one and will be the one that some actual women other than myself can try on!
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The Prototype
Okay, but how?
And Relax
I decided that last Friday I would take the day off work. “Day off from what?!” my inner voice kept saying, but I ignored her, and I am currently writing this in a spa.
Sat in the spa, I also have a great book with me called Self Care for the Real World. It has tips and tricks to help you get the most out of yourself from food and drink recipies to yoga exercises and meditation techniques.