As an unregulated term, the sustainability of the fashion industry has effectively lost its meaning in The Irish Times

As an unregulated word, sustainability in the fashion industry has effectively lost its meaning. How can anyone be sure that what they are buying is ethically made using natural fabrics? How to distinguish the original from the fake?

Buying online can often result in disappointment due to poor materials, inappropriate colors, or inappropriate shapes, not to mention the tedious feeling of having to pack and return unwanted items.

Dubliner Evelyn Browne, with a background in marketing spanning 15 years, recognizes how overwhelming navigating online sites for sustainable clothing can be for those with busy lives. He could also see an opportunity in Dublin for an alternative convenience store to high street fast fashion that offers a range of ethically made and certified brands with the same environmental and social values ​​at their heart, that are stylish and affordable.

I did all the hard work and research during Covid and spent hours online, Browne recalls.

In Berlin and Copenhagen, finding shops with a similar approach is common. Some department stores are trying, but it’s a piece at a time.

So, in 2020, he opened Slow Walk in BlackrockCo Dublin, tried a few different brands ethically made in good fabrics, and I feel that what women want is everyday wear, so while we sell a lot of denim, tracksuits and t-shirts, in the last two years we’ve been offering a wide variety of cuts. more interesting.

The shop which last year won an award for its design from the Institute of Designers in Ireland is airy, bright and attractive. Well thought out and organized, most of the more than 20 brands are sourced from small labels, the majority less than 10 years old, from Denmark, France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

Poudre Organic, for example, is run by a husband-and-wife French team who started with children’s clothing and then expanded. Rita Rowe’s eco-friendly clothes come from Girona, while Made Obvious is by Lia Quigley, an Irish print designer based in Madrid. Others are Scandinavian, such as Skall Studio founded by two Danish sisters based in Jutland, whose cotton and linen garments are made in India in a GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified family-run factory in Delhi. Armed Angels is a German environmentalist who supports Fair Trade.

We make sure we get verification of claims and fact checks, Browne said. Half of our customers just love clothes and when they’re ethically made, that’s the icing on the cake.

The other half really like their investment who want natural fabrics and know they get what they pay for.

The store reflects not only Brownes’ values ​​but also, as a busy mother, her own personal style which she describes as simple and casual with an emphasis on comfort.

I’m not really into patterns and can be very sentimental about my clothes and other valuables in my wardrobe, says Browne.

And even when I have to dress up, I don’t really dress up.

He also works closely with his customers and provides helpful feedback for the brand. Small things like pockets can be very important, for example.

When they first opened, customers tended to be in their 30s; Now her appeal is broad, ranging from 20-70 years old, and she divides them into three groups. The former is more design-oriented, more premium-buying and looking for interesting pieces, and we keep that in mind when we buy.

The second is for absolute comfort, soft cotton in their neutral hues not looking for a big statement item, but for comfort and durability. The third group is young customers who choose tracksuits, jeans, sweaters. For more stylish items, they go to Zara. While there are other brands she wants to stock, she insists on keeping them all affordable.

Browne also offers clothing care, repair and recycling advice and sells clothing care products, fabric shavers and lint brushes. She would also suggest renting for big events rather than spending a lot of money on something you only wear once (she recommends Happy Days for weddings, and Green Is Good For You for debts or balls).

Blackrock, like many other Dublin suburbs, changed after Covid and now has so many of its cafes, interior and fashion shops and markets, says Browne. People are willing to travel on Saturdays at Dart which is when we get new customers walking along the seafront, going to the market, drinking coffee and shopping.

As for the future, says Browne, I have an eagle eye and am constantly looking, even on vacation, for a new label.

At trade shows in Paris now I can meet brand owners face to face, talk to them, and it makes a difference. We have a core base now of people who come in and buy six to eight pieces for the winter and summer and buy very little for the rest of the year.