Brisbane based Jane Milburn is asking us to think about the way we dress, encouraging people to move away from fast fashion and dress for health, wellbeing and sustainability.
The business owner, author and sustainability advocate has recently travelled to the United Kingdom, New Zealand and the United States where she interviewed a diverse selection of slow fashion practitioners. Jane’s Fellowship report details the ways that these educators, designers, influencers and creators have embraced slow clothing and shunned fast fashion.
A lifelong slow clothing devotee, Jane began advocating for ethical and conscious clothing choices in 2012 but was frustrated by the lack of knowledge and understanding many people have around the dangers of fast fashion. Jane’s Fellowship examines the way that low cost, unethical clothes are creating waste, pollution and contributing to modern day slavery.
“The clothes are low-cost through the combination of an exploited workforce and synthetic fibres derived from fossil fuel resources. This creates waste and pollution, and a loss of skills and knowledge that previously enabled people to extend the lifespan of their clothes.” said Jane when discussing her Fellowship. “These changes mean more discarded clothing is either becoming landfill or being exported to developing nations.”
Rather than tackling fast fashion industry giants, Jane’s Fellowship focuses on the actions and choices the wearer can take to become independent of fast fashion and to create change from the ground up.
“Slow Clothing is a way for wearers to choose, wear and care for clothes to ensure they bring meaning, value and joy to every day.” said Jane as she discusses the ethos behind slow clothing. “At this time of rising concern about the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution, slow clothing is a pathway to making a difference through our clothing choices.”
Jane aims to create social change, shifting the culture of fast fashion and inspiring people to make climate conscious and ethical clothing choices. Jane encourages consumers to eschew ever-changing fashion trends asking us to embrace slow clothing – making do, mending, thrifting and choosing ethical clothing makers.
“Jane’s Fellowship not only prompts us to think about where and how our clothes are made, but what we can do to in our own lives to tackle this problem. We are grateful to Jane for urging us to think differently about our clothing.” said Adam Davey, CEO of the Winston Churchill Trust.
Along with exhaustive research and a comprehensive report, Jane detailed her Fellowship journey on Instagram and all of Jane’s interviews can be found on YouTube.