Sarvin & Slow Fashion
Why we consider ourselves a slow fashion label...
The best way to begin discussing Slow Fashion is to help define it for those unfamiliar with the term!
Slow Fashion 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”(Good On You, 2018).
For many brands, Slow Fashion also means an abandonment of the new fast paced fashion calendar; that many brands now follow.
Traditionally there were only two dates in the fashion calendar: Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter, both collections designed to meet different seasonal needs. Larger designers, eventually moving to add new collections to meet specific needs, such as Resort and Cruise collections.
However, as the industry and technology have changed over time, so has the fashion calendar. Globalisation and heightened demand increasing the frequency and number of collections designers produce. These changes ultimately leading to the industry that we recognise today, where brands are not restricted by production times. Fast-fashion brands capable of creating as many as 52 'micro seasons' per year, equating to thousands of new products on websites and in stores every week.
Nonetheless, not all brands have reached these eye-watering speeds, and many are now stripping back the fashion calendar, adopting Slow Fashion principles. Adopting a Slow Fashion ethos just one-way brands can help reduce overconsumption and escape the trend orientated rigid schedules that the industry currently adheres to. Slow Fashion practices marking a return to more thoughtful design practices and the traditional two collection calendars.
At Sarvin we follow these principles and only design timeless and high-quality pieces using specially selected fabrics that we know will retain their value, last a lifetime, and transcend shifts in seasonal trends. We manufacture all of our pieces at our small studio in Manchester, where our expert seamstresses work in great conditions and are paid fair wages.
At Sarvin, we also have taken further steps to improve and lessen our impact, starting our Zero Waste X Young Designer project and launching our first eco-collection which uses recycled materials.
Our business is centered around ensuring our customers find a timeless piece that they will love for years, make them feel amazing, and importantly, not cost the earth.
Of course, there is always room for improvement in every business, and we continually consider this with each new step we take, but for now, we are proud to operate sustainably based on Slow Fashion principles.