"Seventy-five percent of fashion supply chain material ends up in landfills. This amounts to the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles per second."
Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2018 Report
We have all been victims of fast fashion at least once: buying too many items each season, and donating clothes we have barely worn. Most unworn clothes still end up in landfill. Fashion is the second largest polluting industry in the world, and we have all played a part.
What is slow fashion?
Slow fashion is a reaction to fast fashion. The movement encourages you to stop and think before every purchase, and to be more intentional with what you buy. Slow fashion brands focus on quality over speed, producing limited quantities rather than chasing trends. The pieces are timeless, designed to be worn again and again, and made to last.
Slow fashion in Egypt
Egypt's garment industry is one of the largest in the region and generates hundreds of thousands of tonnes of textile waste every year. A growing community of Egyptian slow fashion and sustainable brands is changing that, by upcycling deadstock fabric, producing locally, and making clothes to order. At Zakeia, we rescue leftover haute couture and deadstock fabric and turn it into limited-edition pieces, handmade by artisans in Cairo. You can read more about our sustainability approach here.
How to shop slow fashion in Egypt
- Make more thoughtful purchases. Before buying, check that you do not already own something similar. A good test: can you create at least nine different outfits with the new piece, across different occasions?
- Shop vintage and second-hand. Buying pre-loved is one of the most sustainable choices you can make. Looking for second-hand stores in Egypt? Email us at hello@zakeia.com and we will share some recommendations.
- Choose sustainable brands, and do your due diligence. Ask how many items a brand produces each month, where they source their fabric, what makes them sustainable, and whether they support social causes. A real slow fashion brand will be happy to answer.
There are so many other ways we can all shop more sustainably.
Buy less, choose well, and make it last.
We would love to hear from you. If you have other suggestions, email us and we will add them to the list for others to benefit from.
6 comments
So excited for the launch of the Zakeia blog! This is what I have been waiting for 🥰✨
I usually try to give an old item a second chance at life by remaining how to wear it differently. Invading my sister’s closet and try to create a different outfit with it or seek the help of a tailor to change its length or its style to make it feel like a brand new piece in my wardrobe.
Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. What’s more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year. The fashion industry is a major contributor to microplastic pollution of the ocean. Over a third (35%) of all microplastics released into the world’s oceans are from synthetic textiles.
Here’s a link, for a really good article by Sanvt I found about the benefits of slow fashion!
https://sanvt.com/journal/advantages-of-slow-fashion/
My favorite brand. Not only is it sustainable, the pieces are just stunning!❤️
To put all the pollution of the fashion industry into perspective, it is worth mentioning that the yearly fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions is about the same quantity as the greenhouse gases emitted by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined in a single year.