Fast fashion has grown exponentially over the last few years. This model allows mass consumerism with the planet paying the price. And putting apart sustainable fashion model.
Fast fashion is a business model in which low-quality clothes, shoes and accessories are mass-produced at low costs. Plus shops stocking new ranges more than every season. The fast fashion industry contributes 10% to global emissions (more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined, (World Bank, 2019). According to The Fiber (2017), 65 million tons of plastic are used in fast fashion every year. This is enough to give 20 jackets for each person on the planet! The popularity of fast fashion also means that people keep clothes for shorter periods of time, so traditional production continues endlessly.
Sustainable Fashion
Fortunately, people are now more aware of these problems, and consequently, sustainable fashion is rising. Actually, Globe Newswire predicts that the global market for sustainable fashion will be worth a whopping $6.9 billion by 2031.
After losing all illusions about fast fashion, people naturally searched for a solution and alternative that can help decrease the impacts on the environment and live an eco-friendlier lifestyle. This way, sustainable fashion sprouted and gained popularity. Sustainable fashion brands not only improved their environmental and social impact. They also made their supply chains much more transparent than fast fashion ever did.
Sustainable fashion also helped us understand that the cost of a piece of clothing goes far beyond the number on the price tag. We started to care more about how long a garment will last and the cost per wear. Because of all these factors, the average person of the 21st century is more eco-conscious than anyone before. Furthermore, people are willing to pay extra for eco-friendly products. And therefore, fashion brands are producing more sustainable collections, and paying attention to this.
So, if you have been dreaming of launching a sustainable fashion business, there’s, thus, no better time to start than right now! Today we bring you the best guide to help you getting started in sustainable fashion.
Let’s start:
1. Research the market
Being acquainted with the market we are emerging, will help us understand which parts of the industry we are more interested in. So, we should focus in determining the potential target customer base, better understanding their preferences, and discovering the sustainability issues that they care the most about.
With these kind of information abou the market we can be more secure to begin the business.
2. Define the purpose – Sustainable Fashion
Start defining the business’s role in promoting sustainable fashion is the next step. So, we should understand which issue in the fashion industry we want to address. We can focus in one or more of these main aspects: production issues like outsourcing underpaid workers; using animal products in clothing or shoe items; circular fashion, which involves making sure what we sell recyclable or reusable pieces; take on fast fashion with slow fashion by offering timeless products that encourage less production and consumption.
3. Decide the products
Begin with a research on sustainable materials and alternatives to plastic fashion materials, such as recycled wool and polyester or Ecovero instead of rayon. Make sure that every stage of the supply chain meets your requirements in terms of the environment and sustainability. The products should be sourced, produced, packaged, and delivered in an ethical way. It’s also very important to start doing some certifications like GOTS, GRS, B corp… Certify that you follow al the EU laws and requirements.
4. Build the brand
Now it’s time to build the brand. Set up a catchy brand name, your brand story, values… and begin building customer trust and loyalty. The brand should define who you are, the issue you’re tackling, and why.
Next, decide whether you want an online or physical store. Your choice will depend on your budget, as both options can be made sustainable. For example, you can use renewable energy in your physical location. You can also use eCommerce platforms like Shopify, which invests heavily in sustainable portfolios.
It’s also important to search for the right partners and manufacturers to help you during the entire process. Choosing the right clothing manufacturer is one of the most important, but difficult stage. A brand can have the best designers, marketing, and sustainability purpose, but if it does not have a good product, then it will not sell.
With our service and team all these problems are going to end. And you just can rest assure that everything is going perfectly, matching all your requires. See the endless advantages of our service:
- Follow-up during the whole process of creating, design, development and all this involves;
- Specialized team in product development and sourcing;
- Detailed assessment of the suppliers current in the market to understands the ones that fits your requirements from our network;
- High quality fabrics and finished products;
- Deadlines accomplishment, having in mid the current panorama of the fashion industry in Portugal;
- Made in Portugal (a high quality level reference);
- Sustainable oriented process (fair production, ethical chain of suppliers, transparency, sustainable materials);
- Updated to the fashion and sustainability trends.
One of our goals is to present a personalized service. That can make the most of the investment of our customers in Portugal.
5. Marketing
In today’s digital age, the best way to start promoting your brand is building a strong online presence. Create a creative e-commerce, bet on social media accounts on platforms that your target audience frequents, like TikTok and Instagram.
However, don’t underestimate the continuing power of offline marketing. PR materials, events and national publications can be the key to boost the brand’s reach among customers and achieve notoriety.
So, know more about the fashion industry and how we can help you right here:
