Many of us have heard of the Slow Fashion movement - but how many of us know what it actually means in practise? More importantly, how can we tell the difference between those manufacturers who genuinely have moved to a Slow Fashion model to protect their people and their planet, and those who simply ‘talk the talk’?

When we started Vixen & Fox these were the questions we wanted to answer, because we were determined to be part of the solution – and never the problem.

Since we had the original concept to create Australia’s first ethical, sustainable lingerie brand that is also truly luxurious and of the highest quality, we have been on a journey of discovery. That journey culminated in the launch of our debut collection, Bold, and the journey is only just beginning.

Slow Fashion is quite simply the opposite of Fast Fashion.

The fashion Industry has been a key player in decades of what has been called ‘thoughtless consumerism’ and a major contributor to the destruction of our planet and the acceptance of unfair, unsafe and unethical working practices.

In his Book ‘Consumerism: A way of Life’ Steven Miles described consumerism as the religion of the 21st century and indeed there are reports that indicate we consume twice as many material goods today as we did 50 years ago.

From a fashion perspective the increase is even higher - the average number of outfits women own has increased by about 3- fold in that time

Of course, the rise in consumerism has had some seriously negative consequences - firstly, a rise in inequality (even now about 80% of goods are consumed by about 20% of the world’s people) & secondly a draining of the world’s resources

Ellen McArthur (the originator of the Circular Economy principle & somewhat of a V&F guru) has dubbed our consumer led production cycle ‘Take-Make –Waste’ and fashion plays a key role in this: one rubbish truck of textiles is landfilled or burned per second.

The Slow Fashion movement was borne out of a wider global movement, dubbed The Fashion Revolution – a not for profit movement created in response to Rana Plaza with the ethos that our clothes should not come at the cost of our people or our planet

At Vixen & Fox we are big advocates of The Fashion Revolution – we may only be a small part of the fashion industry, but we want to be a positive part – and our goal is to contribute to creating a fashion industry that benefits the planet and all people.

Recent research shows that a whopping 73% of people globally want to reduce the negative impact they have on the planet and its people through consuming more responsibly BUT at the same time, find it difficult to buy the right products to do that.

That is where Vixen & Fox comes in.

We know that lingerie is an area of the clothing industry that has been in many ways behind the curve when it comes to sustainable, ethical practices that lead to a high-quality, long-lasting product.

We’d love to be able to fill our lingerie drawers with $20 bras as much as the next person, and we won’t pretend we haven’t been guilty of that in the past. However, we believe that if we are lucky enough to be able to spend that little bit more, we’d rather have one $100 bra that looks and feels amazing & has been produced with minimal waste, fair working practices and without damaging our planet unnecessarily, than 5 $20 bras (many of which, being honest, we don’t wear.)

Our customers tell us they feel the same. And what’s more, they are happy to ‘put their money where their mouth is’ and make the shift to investing in fewer higher quality, longer lasting garments rather than buying a mountain of cheaper bras and briefs that don’t fit well or look good after a few washes.  

And if our customers are prepared to do that, then it is only fair that we do the same! It all starts with our design and manufacture process, which turns fast fashion on its head through our 4 pillars: 

OUR PROCESS

OUR PRODUCT

OUR PEOPLE

OUR PLANET

Fast fashion corporations churn out new collections onto sales floors almost every week, and less than one percent of all clothing materials are recycled into new garments. 

Our slow fashion model flips this on its head with slower production schedules, small-batch collections, and minimal waste designs. 

Instead of chasing trends (and clogging our landfills), the Vixen & Fox mantra is to produce high quality, timeless and enduring garments.

For example: 

• A lower price, lower quality bra can take as little as 3 minutes to make 
• In contrast, the Vixen & Fox process takes around 12 months from initial design to final product, involves up to 5 separate bespoke fittings on models of various shapes and sizes before each garment is perfected and requires us to specify around 40 different sets of measurements for a single bra. Each piece demands hours of painstaking work.

The end results? 

We are proud to say our method results in a product of premium quality – exclusive designs, coupled with first class fit for lingerie that looks and feels amazing and always has craftsmanship at its core. 

And it doesn’t stop there…

Our process is not only designed to produce a premium, long lasting product, but also to protect our planet – it’s not always easy, and we are always striving to improve but some of the ways in which we reduce our environmental impact are:

• Putting pattern and fabric efficiency at the core of our design considerations to minimise waste at every stage. 
• Minimal dying – our signature black elastics are a feature across all our ranges, enabling us to avoid unnecessary dying and reduce our water usage 
• Small, capsule collections of ‘classic’ ranges that we will sell and sell - leading to lower wastage 
• Careful consideration of fabrics and components – we choose the highest quality materials to increase the longevity and wearability of our products. Not only does that increase the lifecycle of each garment, but it also makes the cost-per-wear pretty competitive versus fast fashion brands that fall apart after a few washes or sit in the drawer because they don’t feel comfortable or fit well! 
• Smart use of off cuts and dead stock in all our production– meaning we are avoiding adding to the textile mountain
• A constant effort to reduce and reuse plastics throughout the process, wherever we can

We firmly believe in quality over quantity and strive to live and breathe this through our product range.

We believe that style trumps trends. Our ‘less is more’ principal means we only release new designs twice a year, which makes them really worth waiting for! What’s more, our signature adjustable bra design means we can cater for a wide range of body shapes and sizes with only 9 bra sizes.

This fresh sizing approach means we have far less wastage, while still being able to offer our customers the choice and superior fit they need.

Our innovative bra design will accommodate weight fluctuations, more than a traditional bra would, meaning your bra can adapt to any changes in your body (let’s face it, we all get them!) and will last far longer - adding up to a competitive cost-per-wear.

What’s more, while our aim is to create an exciting aesthetic in all our garments, we won’t compromise on wearability. Unlike the traditional hook and eye fastener, the sleek back design of Vixen & Fox bras means that they can be worn under sheer tops or as outerwear, making our lingerie very versatile and totally wearable every day – because we believe every day is a special occasion. 

Each product in our collection features high end, often bespoke, components and the highest quality European fabrics. Our highly skilled seamstresses employ the most carefully thought-out, precision techniques, which are often labour intensive but culminate in a beautiful, long-lasting garment that will fit like a glove.  

We are a close-knit teamed of highly skilled lingerie industry specialists. We are proud to partner with our European factory, based in Latvia, which has produced some of the world’s finest lingerie brands. For Vixen & Fox, fair working practices, the safety of our team at all times and supporting the local workforce with a living wage are all non-negotiable.

The quality and provenance of our product and fair treatment of everyone in our supply chain are also of great importance to us. While that can make the sourcing process long and complex, we think it is worth it – and we insist on only sourcing components parts from suppliers with the same ethos as us. 

Every Time you Purchase, we Donate to end modern day slavery 

Our brand is founded out of a commitment to supporting all women throughout their journey. We are grateful to be able to donate 2% of each sale (avg. $8 per sale) to The Freedom Hub, supporting those who have experienced domestic violence, human trafficking and modern-day slavery in Australia.

As part of the fashion industry, we know we are a member of one of the most polluting industries on the planet – and we believe it is our responsibility to change that. 

Finding more sustainable ways to produce the garments our customers want at a price they can pay isn’t always easy but that is what we are constantly striving towards. 

We know we don’t yet have all the answers but we are on a mission to continually improve. 

As well as putting sustainable practices at the core of our production model, all of our packaging is recycled and we minimise the number of boxes we use by ensuring any returns can be sent back to us in the original packaging.  

Every purchase comes with a complimentary Vixen & Fox satin lingerie bag to help to keep your lingerie from snagging on other items when in your drawer or when you're travelling – not only keeping it beautiful but making every piece last longer.

We have chosen Post Australia as our shipping partner because they offset the carbon emissions of all our parcel deliveries. We are proud to be part of their Carbon Neutral Deliveries program which has offset over 200, 000 tonnes of carbon emissions since its launch, the equivalent of taking 85,000 cars off the road.