slow fashion october - introductions.

i've decided to join in on the slow fashion october fun over on the fringe association blog and instagram.
this first week's prompt is about introductions and this post started out as an instagram post, but i found once i started writing, i couldn't stop! i thought it best to expand on my thoughts here, rather than clogging up instagram he he.

hey there, i'm nicole. i live in country victoria, australia with my husband, bb and newborn son, ag. we live on acreage with my parents which is such a blessing, having both our own space, and support incredibly close by through these tricksy first few weeks, navigating life with a newborn.

as a teenager, i used to be quite the fast fashion tragic. i would head to melbourne on road trips with girlfriends to pick up mountains of clothes that were far cheaper and more exciting than anything we could get in our rural hometown.
the trips were exhausting and the piles of clothes that came home with me, overwhelming and sometimes never worn.
growing up since then, and spending a LOT of years post-university working in retail, i realize the allure that shops and shopping centers once had is completely gone.
in fact, if there's one thing likely to make me break out in hives, it's entering a shopping center. the constant thrum of being marketed to, coupled with the artificial lighting and air is migraine inducing!

nowadays i try and be more conscious with my purchases, if something is so cheap you couldn't possibly make it yourself for the price, it's not something i want to be purchasing. the implications of this price cascade down the supply chain, the person/people making the garment couldn't have been paid a fair wage, nor could the person/people providing the raw materials.
though this stance is tested constantly with the arrival of our babe, as he will grow through things so quickly. hard to justify spending a decent amount of money on something that will only fit him for a few weeks perhaps... particularly with our current financial situation (bb having taken the year off from working)
we've been very lucky to receive a multitude of hand-me-downs for him though, which i'm thrilled to be reusing, keeping them out of landfill and saving us some coin as well.

i'm an infrequent thrifter, with quite a few pieces in my wardrobe coming from there, as well as an infrequent sewer, simple, mostly shapeless dresses being my go-to's.
oh and then there's knitting... which i've been trying to be a little more responsible about too. looking for holes in my wardrobe to fill with beautiful knitted items, rather than just making for the sake of making. as much as knitting is my therapy, having a garment or accessory that actually works in with my wardrobe at the end of the process is a big plus!
i feel like my biggest slow fashion skill however, is mending. i try not to have anything in my wardrobe that i don't love to wear, so when something is no longer wearable, i'm more than happy to go to great lengths to make it wearable once more! this goes part and parcel with my thrifty nature too. why buy something new, when you could spend a little bit of time and get more use out of something you already have?

thanks to slow fashion october, i'm really starting to think about and ask questions of the supply lines and back stories of the clothing that i intend to purchase and am getting my research on before handing over any money!
for example, post-birth, i've realised that all of my underwear really needs replacing... my current baggy and saggy, ill-fitting underwear is driving me crazy! rather than just popping down to the local big box store and stocking up on some multipacks of underwear to replace what i have, i started researching...
i've found a company that is fair trade certified, uses organic materials and is based in melbourne too! happy days!

i still feel like i have a ways to go, in many aspects of my life, rather than just my wardrobe, in living a slower and more sustainable life. but reading and following along with initiatives such as slow fashion october, listening to podcasts about slow living and crafting, reading books and other blogs as well as just embracing the country life we are now living... well they're all getting me inspired and motivated to keep things slow!

phew, i'm feeling very well introduced now, and need to get myself through the shower before our little man is awake and after food once more.

are you joining in with slow fashion october too? what are your thoughts on slow fashion?