We’ve had slow food. We’ve had slow traffic. But have you ever had slow fashion? Fashion that's guaranteed for a long time; broken zippers, worn out soles all fixable or replaceable for the lifetime of the product. Sometimes even your lifetime.
The North Face
For a winter-ready, layering lumberjack look you probably won’t get tired of, look to The North Face’s Sunnyslope Flannel Shirt. Available in four colors, this shirt is guaranteed forever. If it has any defects, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t notice them within a few days -- you have a good long time to return it.
Also, it’s cute and you probably won’t want to return it. But you can.
L.L. Bean
New England probably wouldn’t exist without L.L. Bean. It would fall into the sea and nobody would get to have lobster ever again.
L.L. Bean has likely got the best clothing warranty around: "Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise."
The Signature Poplin Dress does not look like it comes from L.L. Bean. It is not a weird huge boot with a rubber sole. It is a cute dress, a dress I feel like someone who tends to stay a steady size could wear from age 18-65. A signature clothing item, even.
Spending sixty dollars on the kind of poplin shirt you can wear forever is so, so much cheaper than buying them over and over at a fast-fashion boutique. L.L. Bean’s Signature Stretch Poplin Shirt is light, comfy and office-ready. It’s highly reviewed, and you’ll be much less likely to just toss it if it loses a button.
Jansport
To pack up all your slow fashion for a lifetime’s worth of travel, you might want to consider a bag with a great warranty. Jansport is all about their lifetime warranty and offers a huge range of products right now in fabrics that range from “11 year old boy who plays with those tiny skateboards you use your fingers to ride” to “actual adult person.”
The Wheeled Superbreak Bag comes in a number of fun patterns, each of which would be super-easy to see on the luggage belt. No boring black luggage for you. Just think -- by the time you’re elderly, you’ll be the funky grandparent with the zebra bag. Which is awesome.
With normcore and The Gap’s “dress normal” campaign, it seems like fashion is reeling itself in again towards the standards. It makes a lot of sense to buy a few high-quality items that will last you forever and accessorize them with whatever’s in, rather than replacing your wardrobe with cheap stuff every few months.
Sometimes, though, these warranties feel a little like dares. What would you send back? How wrecked do your clothes have to get before they’re a little too embarrassing to return? Have you ever returned a really worn-out item?