Slow Fashion Season & Secondhand September Recap
It’s October and that means that Slow Fashion Season and Secondhand September are both officially over with!
What Is Slow Fashion Season?
Slow Fashion Season is a movement led by Collaction that occurs every year from June 21 - September 21. During those three months, participants are encouraged to put fast fashion on hold and instead focus on styling their existing wardrobes, shopping secondhand, or supporting small sustainable brands.
What is Secondhand September?
Overlapping with that, Secondhand September is a movement led by Oxfam that occurs every year during the month of September. This campaign encourages participants to only shop secondhand for 30 days and shifts the conversation away from consuming new garments to reusing and restyling clothes that are pre-loved.
I participated in both campaigns for the second time around, and here is a recap of how that experience went for me.
Slow Fashion Season Recap:
11,051 individuals signed up for Slow Fashion Season this year and while it was short of the campaign’s 25,000 goal, the number of participants was still commendable. It was my second time participating in the campaign, and because of that, I definitely had an easier time navigating challenges and temptations.
Last year, in anticipation for the three-month shopping break, I unsubscribed from all shopping newsletters and unfollowed a bunch of brand accounts on Instagram. I immersed myself in style challenges and leaned on the community for inspiration and support. This year, I basically followed that same formula.
The only thing that shifted this year was that Collaction made an amendment to the participation rules to allow for shopping sustainable brands. The pandemic has severely impacted many small businesses and in an effort to counter that, the campaign made an adjustment to their usual “no shopping new” rule.
This Slow Fashion Season, rather than purchasing entirely secondhand or shopping my own closet, I did actually choose to purchase a few new garments from Organic Basics. Earlier on in the season, they gave me a few undergarments in exchange for a social media post and I loved the pieces so much that I actually went and got another round of underwear. This was a necessary and calculated purchase.
The only other garment that I bought this season was a dusty rose turtleneck (also from Organic Basics). While it wasn’t a necessity, it’s a purchase that brings me a lot of joy and I think that it will serve me well in the coming fall and winter season.
Secondhand September Recap
Okay, to be honest, I feel like I didn’t really participate in this campaign. Because there haven’t been any vacations, occasions, or experiences to dress up for, my shopping cravings have been pretty low and I didn’t have any need to purchase secondhand garments this past month.
However, it was really inspiring to see all the thrift bloggers getting their moment to shine. Throughout the month, there were various thrifting challenges and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how others creatively styled their thrifted finds.
My strategy for Secondhand September next year is to keep this idea of minimal consumption but also be intentional with supporting local, Black-owned, vintage stores if I do feel drawn to purchase a garment.
