Goodbye, fast drops- How we’re taking to the streets with slow fashion

In a world where trends come and go faster than drops sell out, the fashion industry lacks accountability for its shameful environmental impact. Given the fake, hype-creating nature of drops within streetwear, how can this style genre raise its ethical game? The answer? Slow fashion. The fast and the furious: the dark side of fashion Enter the villain in this story – fast fashion. It’s that relentless beast that churns out new styles every week, encouraging you to buy that cheap hoodie, wear once, and discard without a second thought. The result? Overflowing landfills, exploited workers, and a fleeting sense of style that vanishes as quickly as a Snapchat message. In the USA alone, around 11.3 million tonnes of textile waste goes to landfill a year. And the damage doesn’t just come from waste. Manufacturing one cotton T-shirt consumes an insane 2,700 liters of water. To top it all off, according to Fashion Checker, 93% of brands aren’t paying workers a living wage. In Bangladesh, a major production hub for giant fashion brands, garment workers are only paid up to as little as $75 a month. Enter slow fashion streetwear: the hero we need So, what is slow fashion? Slow fashion is all about quality over quantity, craftsmanship over the bottom-line, and enduring style over fleeting trends. It’s about buying less while investing right. Buying clothes that will not only last years but also won’t fade out of style. But an eco-approach doesn’t mean dull threads. Sustainable streetwear brands like Most Prominent Co, the B-Corp certified Veja, and Plant Faced (whose slogan is ‘streetwear without sweatshops’) are leading the charge in the slow fashion revolution. They’re creating pieces that are edgy, bold, and unmistakably cool, but using ethical manufacturing practices and sustainable fabrics. When you choose slow fashion streetwear, you’re supporting talented artisans and small businesses, not faceless corporations. Your dollars make a difference so shop smart by picking brands that prioritize fair labor practices and ethical sourcing of materials rather than marketing hogwash. How Rotten Hand is taking the foot off the fast fashion pedal At Rotten Hand, ethics aren’t an option; they’re our ethos. We’re rebelling against the fast fashion overlords by showing our street cred isn’t just about style but also about sustainable practices. Manufactured in fair trade workshops in Mumbai, India, we make sure that every cut, stitch and detail is crafted with love, care, and the utmost respect for the artisans that bring our vision to life. This means fair wages and absolutely no child labor. From eco-friendly fabrics like EcoCosy, Sorona, Celys and organic cotton to compostable packaging and biodegradable buttons, every decision at Rotten Hand is made consciously. Showcasing timeless, gender-neutral designs, Rotten Hand pieces endure and look en pointe season after season. For every purchase you make, not only do we donate 3% to a cause but we also let you choose from mental wellbeing non-profit Project Semicolon, reforestation project One Tree Planted and child welfare charity Save the Children. Shop Rotten Hand’s sustainable streetwear collection.