What Is Slow Fashion? Viva Medusa Sustainable Activewear Promise

What Is Slow Fashion? Viva Medusa Sustainable Activewear Promise

New to slow fashion, sustainable activewear, or created on demand clothing? Let’s talk about what you’re really buying when you wear the movement.

What is slow fashion, really?

Slow fashion is the opposite of “buy it, wear it twice, throw it away”.

It’s a movement that prioritises quality over quantity, environmental and social justice, and clothes that are made to last, rather than churned out at high speed. 

Instead of chasing 52 micro-trends a year, slow fashion asks:

  • Who made this?

  • What is it made from?

  • How long will it last?

  • What happens when I’m done with it?

At Viva Medusa, slow fashion looks like:

  • Smaller, intentional drops, not endless newness

  • Made-to-order pieces, so we don’t create dead stock

  • Eco activewear and organic apparel wherever we can

  • Honesty about the bits that are still imperfect

We’re not trying to be perfect; we´ll make mistakes (we´re still looking for suppliers who use less plastic packaging!)  We are trying to be as conscious as we can with the tools we´ve got and set the improvement bar high! 

The truth about fast fashion: why we care

Fast fashion is cheap for a reason, and the real price is paid somewhere else.

Environmentally, the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions and is one of the biggest consumers of fresh water.  Overproduction is wild: billions of garments are made every year and huge amounts end up burned or in landfill. Some of that “donated” clothing is shipped to places like Ghana, where up to 40% of imported garments are unsellable and pile up in toxic waste mountains. 

Human-wise, it’s rough. Less than 2% of garment workers earn a living wage, and many work exhausting hours in unsafe factories, facing wage theft and gender-based harassment.  The system is designed to squeeze maximum profit out of minimal pay.

Slow fashion doesn’t magically fix all of this, but it does try to slow the damage down: fewer pieces, better materials, more transparency, and a deeper respect for the humans in the supply chain. 

 

What about activewear – is it always bad?

Most activewear is made from synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon. They’re stretchy, sweat-friendly, and durable, but they also shed microplastics when we wear and wash them. Textiles are estimated to be responsible for around 35% of microplastics in the oceans, and synthetic gym clothes are a big part of that. 

So, sustainable activewear isn’t just “cute leggings”. It’s asking:

  • Can we use recycled fibres instead of virgin plastic?

  • Can we balance performance with organic cotton or other lower-impact fibres where possible? 

  • Can we help you wash and wear in ways that reduce shedding?

It’s not perfect. But it’s better.

 

What Viva Medusa is doing (and where we’re still learning)

We are not a giant corporation with our own factories, private jets and green-washing budget. We’re a small, values-driven brand doing the best we can with the information and resources we have.

Here’s what that actually means:

1. Made-to-order

Every Viva Medusa is made only when you order it. We don’t hold big piles of unsold stock in a warehouse. That means:

  • No “oops, we made 5,000 hoodies no one wanted”

  • Less chance of overproduction ending up in landfill or burned

  • We only use energy, ink, and materials when there’s a real human waiting for their order

Print-on-demand and on-demand production are increasingly recognised as key ways to reduce waste and excess inventory in fashion. 

We don’t claim it’s a perfect system, but it’s a big step away from traditional mass production.

 

2. No warehouse = no dead stock

Because everything is made to order, we don’t have a giant warehouse full of unsold leggings and hoodies waiting for a sale that never comes.

If an item exists, it’s because a real person chose it.

If we ever stop selling a design, it just stops being printed. There’s nothing to throw away.

 

3. 100% Recycled leggings, flared leggings & sports bras

All of our leggings, eco flared leggings, and sports bras are made with recycled materials. That means we’re giving post-consumer or pre-consumer plastics a second life, and reducing the demand for virgin polyester and nylon. They are all unique orignal designs, and they are beautiful! Literally stunning, there aren´t many brands like us out there! And with the right care, they will last you a lifetime. There´s no point in making slow fashion if it doesn´t last and that´s something we´re passionate about.

Reality check:

Because they’re recycled, these fabrics can:

  • Feel slightly more delicate

  • Sometimes snags more easily

  • Occasionally, be a little more see-through than heavy, opaque fast-fashion leggings

We’re not going to lie about that. It’s part of the trade-off: sustainable yoga pants and yoga leggings that are lighter on the planet don’t always behave exactly like heavy synthetic ones. They are still super high-quality sustainable yoga pants, just don´t climb any barbed wire fences as they will snag! (actually speaking from experience) 

4. Moving towards fully recycled & organic

Our goal is simple:

  • Recycled where we can’t go natural

  • Organic, where we can’t go recycled

That means:

  • More organic hoodies and sweatshirts

  • Organic or recycled fibres in t-shirts, where possible

  • Constantly scouting suppliers who are transparent about their materials and certifications

We haven’t visited every factory, and we won’t pretend we have. We rely on supplier certifications, audits, and the best available information — and we’re committed to levelling that up over time.

5. Radical honesty: we are not perfect

This is important:

  • We are not 100% sustainable. No brand is.

  • We have not toured every facility personally (yet).

  • We are constantly learning about better fabrics, better inks, and better ways to ship and package.

What we can promise is:

  • We will never claim perfection.

  • We will keep updating our processes as new information comes out.

  • We donate a portion of profits each quarter to different charities, because ethics isn’t just about fabric, it’s about redistributing some of the benefits of this business back into the world.

 

Why slow fashion brands can’t do refunds like fast fashion

If you’re new to print-on-demand and custom, made-to-order clothing, this part matters.

When you buy from a big fast fashion chain, they can accept massive amounts of returns because:

  • Garments are mass-produced in bulk

  • Returned items can often be resold in-store or online

  • In the worst case, they can afford to write it off (even if it means burning or dumping it)

 

With a slow fashion, made-to-order model:

  • Your piece is created especially for you

  • If it comes back because of a changed mind or the wrong size, there’s usually no one else to sell it to

  • Destroying or wasting that garment goes against the whole point

So at Viva Medusa:

  • We only offer returns when an item is faulty

  • We ask you to check sizing carefully before ordering

  • We give as much detail as we can on fit, fabric, and feel so you can make an informed choice

This isn’t about being difficult. It’s about not turning slow fashion into fast-fashion waste.

 

How to shop Viva Medusa consciously to get the very best for you!

Here’s how to get the best out of our sustainable fashion and sustainable activewear while honouring your body and the planet:

 

1. Choose with intention

Ask: Will I wear this hoodie/leggings set / tee at least 30 times? Spoiler alert, you will! You may even need an intervention to get you out of our snuggly winter gear!

Pick the organic hoodie, eco flared leggings, yoga pants or leggings set that really feels like you — not just a momentary scroll crush.

2. Check the details

Look at:

Fabric (recycled, organic, blended)

  • Recommended use (light movement, everyday wear, or training)

  • Colour and print you won’t get bored with after one season

3. Care like it matters

  • Wash cold

  • Line dry where you can

  • Use a microfibre-catching bag for synthetic pieces to reduce shedding

  • Mend, patch, and love your clothes longer

FUN FACT: we´re starting to partner with an eco laundry company to make our own plastic-free washer sheets, so you can literally do magic in a cold wash and make your garments last forever and use less water and no plastic containers! See? Told you we´re trying... watch this space. 

 

4. Enjoy being part of the change

Every time you choose ethical fashion or ethical sportswear over ultra-fast fashion, you’re voting for a different future. You’re saying:

  • I care how my clothes are made

  • I care how long they last

  • I care about the humans – including me – wearing them

 

Our Slow Fashion Promise

Viva Medusa exists for the humans who rock the boat, challenge the system, and still want to look f*cking fabulous doing it.

Our promise is simple:

  • We will keep moving towards more sustainable fashion, eco-activewear, and ethical sportswear.

  • We will keep choosing slow fashion over fast fashion, even when it’s less convenient.

  • We will keep telling you the truth — about the good, the bad, and the “still working on it” parts of our supply chain.

  • And we will never stop looking for better ways to protect the humans and the planet behind every piece.

We´re here for the brave, not the perfect, and we hope that reflects in our transparency

We´re being as purposeful as we can be whilst making this affordable for you!

Wear the movement. Be the change.

You just have to start choosing on purpose.

Wear the movement. Be the change.