Shop Slow was never just a store. It was a gathering place, a creative incubator, and a defiant stand against the fast-paced churn of the fashion industry.
The South Lamar boutique, lined with racks of upcycled denim, handmade garments, and reworked vintage, was a love letter to slow fashion – a community-driven space where each piece represents hours of work by local “sewists” and begs to be carefully appreciated. Now, citing financial issues, the shop that championed sustainability and community is closing its doors on March 2, leaving behind a movement that refuses to fade.
Founded in 2023 by Mikaela Friedman and Rebecca Wright of handmade clothing brand Psychic Outlaw, Shop Slow started as a scrappy store and quickly evolved into a community hub, hosting clothing swaps and classes on everything from mending pieces to upcycling. In just under two years of operation, the store worked with more than 30 independent designers, paid thousands to local makers for their work, taught members of the community valuable skills, and proved there is a desire for slow fashion in Austin.
For local makers like Jimmy Gallo, founder of “the world’s tiniest fashion label,” Electric Honey, the store made a huge impact.
“Shop Slow has quickly become a hub for a group of people who want to make a difference, one garment at a time,” Gallo says. “Mikaela and Rebecca’s legacy lives on. They have taught us that places like Shop Slow can and should exist not only as retail spaces but as town squares where people can create, learn, and connect with one another.”
The same sentiment is echoed by most designers that benefited from the storefront.
“Shop Slow was a gem for the creative community in Austin,” says Sloane Lenz of This Is Sloane, who also plays guitar in Lord Friday the 13th. “They created a really sweet space to come together and learn new skills, share their art, and make new friends while promoting sustainability and helping to cut down on fashion industry waste.”
Owning a small business is an uphill battle, and in a system that prioritizes speed and profit over sustainability, Shop Slow’s model was difficult to sustain.
“I think people underestimate how much work owning a small business is, especially when your team is just two people,” Friedman says. “There’s no breaks, you don’t get a day off. We’re not a nonprofit, so people can’t volunteer. That red tape is there for a reason – capitalism wants to make money.”
Other local efforts, such as Heartening, a $3 clothing warehouse founded by Kelley Rytlewski in 2023 that also operates a free clothing stand, are navigating similar struggles. Unlike Shop Slow, Heartening is powered by volunteers, which Rytlewski says is key to its survival.
“Seeing that community form is really neat,” she says. “That’s what makes me feel like we have lasting power here. I don’t know if we’re gonna make it [another] six months, but that makes me feel like we will.”
Despite the closing of Shop Slow’s physical space, its impact will continue. Friedman and Wright are exploring online expansions through Patreon or Substack and are developing resources like clothing swap guides to keep their mission alive. They’ll also continue to host workshops, a cornerstone of the store’s programming, ensuring Austinites still have spaces to learn mending and upcycling skills. Next up, they’ll join Slow Fashion Festival at a South by Southwest pop-up on March 8.
And Shop Slow was never alone in its mission. Heartening – and ethical fashion business HarperSage, which opens its own flagship store at 4803 Burnet on March 8 – continues to carve out space for ethical fashion in Austin, while clothing swaps, pop-ups, and DIY events thrive in bars, coffee shops, and backyards.
“The movement does not need to be brick and mortar,” Rytlewski says. “It can live anywhere. Our community wants it to exist. People want slower fashion, connected communities. We can make it happen together.”
This article appears in February 14 • 2025.
