People are aware of fast fashion’s environmental impact and are looking for sustainable clothing suppliers with more ethical practices. Here’s how you can join them.
Sustainable Clothing Impact
Fast fashion accounts for nearly 10 percent of the world’s carbon emissions and contributes to various socioeconomic problems. Thankfully, as customers and fashion businesses become more aware of the issues, it’s easier to create business models that don’t rely on toxic overproduction. Use these techniques to open a sustainable clothing boutique.
Another important point is that nowadays the idea of sustainable fashion has gained greater prominence, and added to the idea of thinking about fashion with technology, it means that the results in relation to the fashion world and sustainability present new results, even when we think that innovations in fashion they are constant and happen every day.
Sustainable Clothing Fashion at a Glance:
Sustainable fashion brings in itself its own concept that changes the entire way of thinking so that sustainable clothing are truly thought of in a green way.
- Focus on materials and construction
- Educate your customers
- Reward them for sustainable shopping
- Control your own finances
- Know your limits
Quality Not Quantity
People who shop for sustainable clothing are usually fed up with cheap clothing that needs constant replacing. Therefore, you should focus on providing clothes of high-quality materials and construction. It’s okay if that means your price point will be higher than average—your customer base is better educated about the real costs of making lasting garments.
Be Vocal About Your Mission
If you’re going to open a sustainable business, don’t forget to tell people! Many shoppers specifically look for brands that stay out of toxic fashion culture, so be sure to say it loud and proud. By doing so, you’re more likely to create customer loyalty.
Breadth vs. Depth
There are different ways to be sustainable in fashion, and you may not be able to do all of them at once when you start. For example, you may only buy clothing from transparent producers, or you might offer to match clothing purchases with a donation to sustainable charities. Choose the parts of sustainability that are most important to your brand and focus on those so your resources aren’t spread thin.
Sustainable Funding
One of the most important things to consider when opening a sustainable clothing boutique is where to get startup funds. If you use investors, you may have trouble getting them on board with your mission to be sustainable. One way to finance the business yourself is to use 401(k) funding for startup costs. This allows you to have much more control over your business’s direction.
Build a Culture of Sustainability
Getting your customers excited about sustainable practices is incredibly important for two reasons: firstly, it creates brand loyalty since your customers better understand why you do what you do. Secondly, it helps educate customers about the fashion industry to make better decisions for the planet. Reward your customers for reusing/recycling packaging, shopping bags, and worn-out clothing from your store.
While fast fashion still dominates the industry, shoppers are becoming more aware of the problems and looking for businesses that don’t participate in toxic trends. You can help lead the change by making your boutique sustainable and building a culture that educates customers to make better choices.
Like this article? Then you must watch this panel: Fashion Is Aligning Social Values, Purpose & Business Strategies – Hayley Segar, Brana Dane & Virgie Tovar
* Written by Felicia Priedel from Logical Position.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Fashinnovation’s columnists are their own, not those of Fashinnovation.
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