“Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Last.”
Vivienne Westwood.
Almost every client we work with aspires to develop a sustainable brand. Equally, it’s a priority for us to support and enable that aspiration. Sustainability is a big topic…and realistically it’s a topic that can sometimes feel a little baffling, especially if you’re a start-up!
The sad truth is that we’ve witnessed clients shying away from their most ambitious sustainable aspirations because it feels too mammoth to master or achieve; sometimes due to budget, logistics or accessibility to the necessary resources.
We’re here to remind you that, when you break it down…sustainable practice is a little bit more achievable than you might think.
The responsibility doesn’t fall solely onto the shoulders of the production & manufacturing side of the industry. The truth is that we can all make responsible choices from the very start of our process, and we’ve realised that sometimes it’s easy to overlook these really simple sustainability solutions while developing your brand.
Here are five things to consider to inject a little bit more sustainability into your brand development;
- Plan your range – do you really need to proceed with every item you’re considering developing?
- Collaborate with your suppliers – they will most likely have some tips for a more sustainable development & manufacturing process. If you’re lucky they may also have a roll of fabric hiding in their warehouse which is perfect for you, which means that roll of fabric won’t go to landfill…that’s a big win-win!
- Reduce the number of components – maybe you could share a fabric across several items? This could reduce your fabric costs as well, so why not!?
- Design with multi-seasonality in mind – maybe then you can retail this season’s stock next season too, reducing the number of new developments you’ve got coming up!
- Compromise! This can sometimes be a tricky one to exercise, but sometimes (for example) we need to accept that the ‘perfect’ colour can’t be achieved using an environmentally friendly dye-stuff…but a similar colour could be!
If we all design, develop and produce with simple sustainability steps in mind we will inevitably move towards a more sustainable future.
The Fashion Consultants can support you throughout your brand development journey, so let’s take on sustainability step by step and I’m pretty sure we will soon discover that we’ve made some pretty big leaps!
Get in touch to discuss these topics in more detail!