Slow fashion communication on social media: Educating consumers through rational content in Indonesia and Malaysia

Amid the inadequate communication studies on slow fashion, this study examines slow fashion communication on social media, with a focus on a content analysis of two slow fashion Instagram accounts in Indonesia and Malaysia, namely @setali.indonesia and @klothcircularity. The data was collected from 1,029 posts containing slow fashion content from January 2020 to December 2022. The study found that communicating slow fashion on social media is predominantly through rational content conveying consumer education issues. The two accounts' main objective is disseminating information and raising awareness about slow fashion lifestyles. The affordance of Instagram in connecting people through shared content in real-time can be a remarkable educational tool for sharing knowledge about slow fashion. The study's results will contribute to media and sustainability communication studies, highlighting the role of social media content in communicating about sustainability.