economic-trends

The word alone inspires visions of co-working spaces with white-washed brick walls, spartan surfaces, and rows of Monstera deliciosa plants.

But as long-term job security decreases and the gig economy takes hold, for some it is more about necessity than a glamorous lifestyle.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says there are more than a million independent contractors in Australia — though a 2014 study by research firm Edelman Berland put the number as high as 3.7 million.

Clare Press, fashion writer and editor, described this as her "canary in the coalmine moment" — the point at which she decided to become a passionate advocate of slow fashion.

She cites a study from 2006 that found British women were consuming four times as many clothes as their 1980 counterparts, and sending 30kg of textiles and clothing to landfill annually.