Fast Fashion vs. Slow Fashion

Fast fashion is able to quickly pump out new styles at affordable prices, but at what cost to the workers and environment? The Copenhagen Fashion Summit estimates that the fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste dumped in landfills each year, making fashion one of the biggest contributors of waste and pollution to the environment. And back in 2013, 1100 workers were killed in an apparel factory in Bangladesh when the building collapsed due to questionable safety standards. Today, these issues are increasingly being brought to the forefront to hold big fashion companies accountable for their actions and practices, but we can do better, and that's why AGA was created.

Most people might not think twice about the negative impact that fashion has on the world when shopping for clothes, but the problems are clear and steadily on the rise. In order to make a change, it's extremely important that we hold ourselves responsible for all areas of the production cycle rather than focusing on one or two issues. This approach results in a "slow fashion" approach in order to be mindful, accountable, and not use or waste more than necessary while maintaining ethical standards. Here's a few ways that AGA differentiates ourselves from fast fashion with our eco-friendly slow fashion approach:

• Everything is produced to order, so that no unnecessary waste is created and we don't use any more resources than necessary.
• We don't use any cheap synthetic fabrics, such as polyester, that can shed harmful fibers into the ocean when washed. Instead, we only use natural fabrics.
• Unlike popular and cheap chemical dyes, all of our dyes are natural without containing any harmful chemicals, and we source the natural ingredients locally that are in abundance.
• All of our production is ethically done here in Los Angeles or in Korea where workers are performing their duties in a safe environment with fair wages.
• We make every attempt to minimize natural resource usage, such as water, and because our dyes are natural and contain no harmful chemicals, it's absolutely safe to pour down the drain.
• Using natural fabrics and dyes makes what we produce completely biodegradable and safe.

Our slow fashion methods may be much more deliberate and time consuming than fast fashion methods, but it's infinitely more sustainable and eco-friendly - we think those are reasons enough to do what we do. Our hope is for people to recognize that monumental change is needed within the apparel industry, but that change doesn't need to come at the sacrifice of quality and style; only in the "how". Join AGA in our efforts towards changing the world, one outfit at a time.

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