Blog by Rosie Helson (Intern)
I was lucky enough to recently attend the inaugural Ethical Fashion Forum SOURCE Summit entitled “Sustainable Fashion: The Tipping Point – the point at which best practice becomes the rule rather than the exception to it” held at the Hub in Westminster, London. After two fantastic panel sessions on ‘Impact & Visibility’ and on ‘Education & Systems’, the international SOURCE Summit attendees split into discussion groups and put their creative hats on.
I opted to be in the Mainstreaming Sustainable Fashion group as I believe that this is key to making a real step towards more widespread ethical fashion retail.
There were some fabulous ideas thrown into the mix, which are arguably applicable to both smaller start-up ethical fashion brands and larger retailers offering a more sustainably-produced line.
Some opportunities we came up with for really taking this into the mainstream were:
1. Offer something MORE. It can be attractive for an ethical fashion brand to go beyond the standard ‘consumer-buyer’ relationship and in fact allow people to become part of a movement. In a practical sense, a brand’s website can offer an exciting and fun game or service such as a street style photo competition or an interactive ‘design your own t-shirt’ feature. These features will be shareable on social media (“I just designed my own shoe/t-shirt on <ethical fashion brand’s website> click here to create your own!”) and will attract even those not necessarily interested in the sustainable side of fashion.
2. Look into CURRENT celebrity endorsement. Celebrity endorsement is nothing new in the fashion world and is very valuable in creating big followings. As well as looking to the usual high glamour actors and models who stand up for ethical fashion, advice is to go beyond that to feature people who are cool and influential right this instant. Think about reality TV stars, whoever is trending (in a positive way!) on Twitter and musicians. Music can be a fantastic platform for ethical fashion marketing, with sponsorship of up-and-coming bands being one way to endorse the brand with the ‘cool’ factor!
3. Change your LANGUAGE. The phrase ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’ fashion is not always appealing to those not aware of, nor interested in, green issues. More positive language can be used to describe fashion that makes you look and feel good without harming people nor the planet. This rebrand could take away the ‘guilt’ factor and make it sexier. This also applies to search engine optimisation for ethical fashion websites. Online analytics show that very few people who access online stores search for the words ‘ethical’ or ‘sustainable’; many more search for things like ‘dresses’ or ‘skinny jeans’.
4. Think carefully about IMAGING. Obviously all consumers are different, but to attract consumers who may not normally think about accessing sustainable fashion retailers, it is important to think about what their favourite retailers do to market to themselves successfully. Of course one challenge is that you want to stick to your values and brand ethos. Whilst not using size zero models nor air brushing is admirable, the overall image of the brand has to appeal to the masses. It can be done
5. Pool your RESOURCES. Smaller and start-up ethical brands often have low marketing budgets, which means that they struggle to get coverage across mainstream magazines and media. Clubbing together could be one solution- as outlined below.
One overarching theme to come out of the discussion was COLLABORATION: together we can do greater things, better.
Synergised ethical brands could get together to purchase a collective PR package including industry wide mass marketing campaigns, fantastic celebrities, stylised photo shoots with renowned fashion photographers such as Rankin and top production companies.
It was agreed that ethical fashion brands have to be profitable, scalable and commercial as a priority (as they are working towards being environmentally and socially good naturally).
Of course, in an ideal world, all ‘mainstream’ fashion would be produced in more sustainable way. In the interim, there is a lot that can be done to make people more aware and attracted to sustainable fashion. Many high street and luxury brands are already helping by featuring ethical collections in their stores, for example the H&M Conscious Collection. Don’t watch this space, do something to fill it!
Are you an innovator in the sustainable fashion sector? Be a part of an inspirational movement. Find out if you qualify for the Fellowship 500. Read more about the programme or browse its members HERE: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/The-Fellowship-500