Thoughts on Slow Fashion with Cedar & Vine (AD)
Cedar & Vine kindly sent me this jumpsuit. All images, words and thoughts are my own. An affiliate link is included in this blog post.
One thing I really love about working with small, sustainable brands is stumbling across someone who has the same views that I do. Someone who understands the need for timeless, versatile garments that you can wear all year round. Someone who I can have an honest and open chat with about the fashion and blogging industries. Someone who really cares about what they do. I absolutely loved connecting with Jo, owner of Cedar & Vine, a Canadian slow fashion brand producing beautiful linen garments that are designed to be cherished.
Something that comes up again and again when working in this industry is the claim that bloggers are just out for freebies and will work with anyone that offers them money. There’s a huge conversation that I could have about values, but what I want to touch upon is the relationship between smaller, sustainably-minded bloggers and independent, slow fashion brands. These relationships often involve garments being gifted in exchange for coverage, but the brands don’t have a large budget and the bloggers often work unpaid. If you want to make money from blogging, it’s the big, fast-fashion, unethical brands that have the budget - and my principles and values stop me from working with those brands. I’ve worked on paid collaborations with lovely ethical brands in the past, but for the most part, slow brands and slow bloggers support each other while both going out of pocket.
With that in mind, I want to have a chat about slow fashion and why it’s so important to support small businesses, as well as curating a considered, sustainable and ethical wardrobe. It’s not just about making sure you are doing as little harm as possible when making a purchase - it’s also about recognising that it’s hard work to run a small, independent brand, especially when running your business ethically and sustainably means larger costs that if you were cutting corners and weren’t making conscious decisions.
When I make a purchase, or accept a gift from a brand to promote on my channels, I make a conscious decision to choose a brand whose values resonate with my own. I want to help small, sustainable, slow brands to thrive, rather than lining the pockets of the huge chains that frankly don’t need any more sales. If you find two similar products, one a cheap imitation by a high street brand, the other a beautifully crafted garment that has been made to last, using natural fabrics and sustainably practices, which would you opt for? If you can afford to, I ask you to make the considered choice and shop small.
We don’t need wardrobes overflowing with clothes; what we need are wardrobes filled with slow, sustainable garments that are versatile, timeless and made to be treasured. Take Cedar & Vine’s linen jumpsuits for example. In these photos I am wearing a beautifully soft, outrageously comfortable jumpsuit with straps that tie at the neck and buttons to roll up the hems. I can wear this now, layered up with thin knits, a jacket, boots and woolly accessories, and I can wear it in summer with sandals, over swimwear as I hike to my favourite swimming spot. I don’t have to worry about the quality of the garment, as it’s made from beautifully soft linen that just gets better with age, and I can rest assured that it has been handmade with ethical and sustainable considerations in mind. Cedar & Vine is a labour of love for Jo, and this care and attention shows in her garments.
Check out the Cedar & Vine collection here. I am wearing the Linen Romper in these photos.