Finding peace: Living slow fashion

Slow fashion is not a question of morals but of attention. It is not about owning less because one ought to, but about the fact that a few good pieces make daily life more pleasant than many arbitrary ones. Anyone who has gone three months without buying anything and still reached happily into the wardrobe every morning understands the difference at once.

The calculation few people make honestly

Many articles claim that high quality clothing is the cheaper choice in the end. Put like that it is not always true, and we would rather not claim it. A cashmere jumper at 850 euros, worn twenty five times a winter for ten years, costs you a good three euros per wear. A simple jumper at 79 euros that lasts two winters comes to about one and a half.

So slow fashion does not necessarily save money. What changes is something else: for ten years you wear something that fits and looks well, instead of five mediocre pieces in succession. And over those ten years you make four fewer purchasing decisions.

The honest version of the argument therefore runs: this is not about saving, it is about what you spend your money on and how often you have to think about it.

Three questions before buying

Before a piece enters the wardrobe, three questions help, and all of them can be answered in a minute:

• Will I still wear it in five years? If the answer depends on a trend, the answer is no.

• Does it work with at least three pieces I already own? If not, you are in truth buying two items, not one.

• Where would I have it repaired? A question nobody can answer for very cheap goods, because it is not worth it.

These three questions replace every rule about how many pieces a wardrobe may hold. They lead almost automatically to a selection that belongs together. What such a selection looks like in practice is set out in our piece on building a minimalist wardrobe.

Repair instead of replace

A moth hole is no reason to give up on a cashmere piece. Small holes can be darned with matching yarn so that the spot is barely findable afterwards. Slack cuffs can be renewed, and even a torn seam can be closed cleanly where the piece was linked rather than overlocked.

The cost usually lies between twenty and sixty euros depending on the damage. For a piece that cost several hundred euros and could last another ten years, that is simple arithmetic. Bring it to us in the showroom if you are unsure whether a repair is worthwhile.

Care is the least spectacular part of sustainability

The most effective measure for a longer life costs nothing: wash less often, dry correctly, store flat. Every wash puts strain on the fibre, and most knitwear is washed considerably more often than necessary.

A cashmere piece that hangs in the air for a day after three or four wears needs two or three washes a season. That extends its life considerably and preserves the handle for longer. The full instructions are in our piece on caring for cashmere.

The point where less genuinely becomes more

There is a threshold beyond which a smaller wardrobe makes daily life noticeably easier. For most people it lies where every top works with every pair of trousers. Past that point there are no wrong decisions in the morning, only variations.

That state cannot be reached by buying more, only by setting things aside and adding a few pieces deliberately. The side effect is that each individual piece is worn more often, which in turn makes investing in quality more worthwhile.

Where things go when they go

Setting aside does not mean throwing away. Pieces in good condition find new wearers quickly through second hand platforms, and demand for cashmere in particular is high. What is genuinely worn out belongs in fibre recycling rather than in general waste.

With natural fibres there is one more point that is rarely mentioned: pure cashmere is biodegradable. A blend containing polyester is not. That too is an argument for single fibre materials, quite apart from price. Where our fibres come from is set out on our about page.

Frequently asked questions

Is slow fashion more expensive?

Per purchase yes; over ten years, not necessarily cheaper either. The difference lies less in price than in wearing something good for years and having to make far fewer purchasing decisions.

How many pieces does a good wardrobe need?

There is no fixed number. The useful threshold is reached when every top works with every pair of trousers. From that point a few pieces produce a great many combinations.

Is it worth having cashmere repaired?

Usually yes. Darning a moth hole or renewing a cuff costs twenty to sixty euros depending on the damage and adds years of use.

Is cashmere a sustainable fibre?

As a pure natural fibre cashmere is biodegradable and, well cared for, exceptionally long lived. What matters is origin and production, and whether the material is single fibre or blended with synthetics.

What should I do with clothes I no longer wear?

Pass pieces in good condition on through second hand channels, where cashmere is in demand. Genuinely worn out items belong in fibre recycling, not in general waste.

If you would like to change your wardrobe over gradually, start with a piece you will wear often. What comes into question for that is in the cashmere collection.