How can brands sell sustainable fashion, sustainably?

Article written by: Vogue Business.

Would you ever buy a garment without seeing a photo of it first? Last week, Swedish brand Asket invited its customers to do just that in a three-day “experiment” that saw its e-commerce website wiped of product imagery. But will it work?

E-commerce product pages have the potential to help address fashion’s existential problems of overproduction and overconsumption, where brands have an opportunity to encourage slower consumption, and customers have a chance to see how brands are trying to improve production.

A successful product page is one that helps customers select the right product, minimising waste, says Rebecca Morter, founder of London-based multi-brand retailer Lone Design Club (LDC), which hosts pop-ups to help direct-to-consumer brands reap the benefits of physical retail. This means helping people find the right size, as fit is a consistent driver of high returns.

For a long time, fashion communicators have managed to escape criticism for their role in supporting overproduction and promoting overconsumption, but that is changing.

The Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, launched last year by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Fashion Charter for Climate Change (UNFCCC), calls on fashion communicators to recognise their historic impact when it comes to exacerbating the climate crisis, and to lend their skills towards sustainability goals instead.

Discover more sustainability coverage from the fashion industry, here.