In the last decade a huge spotlight was pointed at the Slow Food
movement; the savory approach to healthy eating with an appreciation of food fundamentals and traditions; Slow Food encouraged awareness of food from the grower to the preparer and how our food choices impact the world.

In this century we hope, and there is evidence surfacing, that the
same attention may be given to the clothes we wear. We all need to
wear clothing, so we should all be asking how and where it is made,
and how it gets to our closet, right? Just as the food we choose to
consume has far reaching impact on our environment, the clothes we
purchase influences a wide range of practices that effect humans and
our planet.

More and more people are asking for clothes that are in harmony with their values; clothes that are sweatshop-free, made from organic fibers, and are locally made. Just as vegans don’t wear leather shoes, those of us who are concerned about the earth want our fashion statement to be consistent with our spirit.

YOUR CHOICE OF SOCKS IS KILLING ME!

Possibly a near-future fashion trend: To be considered “fashionable”, the wearer must know who/ where / how their clothes came to be, so that they resonate with their personal belief system. To be fashionable your words are put into action by your choices in clothing, and fashion is then defined as “a look in harmony with thought.” Fashion can equally be in “the MIND of the beholder”.

Yes, polyester is bad. But in our future there is a chance that many will never be caught wearing a pair of pants with any trace of synthetic (both in fiber or packaging.) None would be seen in mass produced shirts that? traveled through the Panama Canal on a container ship loaded with “stuff” because it would just “look stupid.” (look what wearing newly cut fur can arouse from bystanders.)

Eco-friendly, sustainable fiber made with just practice and transported minimally is the wise choice to look smart. And just as urgently, the days of scratchy burlap looking sacks in muted colors is passing us by. We want to look and feel great. We want our greenwear to reflect us, garments made well in all aspects. Dressing can be more than fun, it can be loaded with meaning that surpasses the name on the label.

Wouldn’t it be fun to go to an event where heads turned to see who was wearing the lowest impact clothing? Wouldn’t it be fun to go to a party where ears perk to hear the story about how a dress improved lives? Talk about having fashion SENSE.

In 2005, I caught the buzz of all the message tees being produced -human billboards - and thought, ” I can do that!” I expressed this with the same naivety that someone viewing one of my paintings would say “I could do that!” I would think “Yeah, Go ahead and try. It is way harder than you think!” Ok, I can now admit, building a green company was way harder than I thought!

It is now 2007, and the time spent has been given to exploring the details. I BELIEVE that people, once fully aware, are interested in the whole system of clothing (like the food we eat), where every detail breathes with intention. We will learn what questions to ask and some reasonable answers.? Understanding will develop real sustainability, including clothes that support people and protect our earth with wisdom, style and beauty. Let’s make new fashion sense by supporting Slow Clothing. Live the answer.

Lee Tracy, artist, writer, founder of Certaintees