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Be Stylish and Authentic but Within Your Means? Try People Tree

Anyone operating a fashion business must be aware of the increased access to information about the brands by customers. The culture of replacement is what those who want to remain in the fashion business should embrace. Lin (2022) is convinced that buyers have now changed their focus from having stylish designs to valuable brands. Talk of People Tree and you will be referring to a fairer fashion future through transparent and ethical business aspects. The company for over 20 years considers everyone including the farmers, trade artisans, and consumers important. The UK-based fashion company was founded by James and Safia Minney in 1991 (People Tree, n.d.). People Tree is committed to honoring the rights to a livelihood through its sustainability efforts, customer-producer empowerment, and the creation of people-centered values and sustainability.

People Tree is among the few companies associated with the source of their raw materials. Trips to Bangladesh are common with the company because they know what value the farmers bring to their business. People Tree’s products are made through the collaboration of farmers, artisans, and producers from developing countries to build business viability for community sustainability. The company embraces handmade products and is more committed to reviving the eco-friendlier traditional hand skills.

The American apparel industry must choose social responsibility for its bottom line. People Tree is a benchmark given the wide variety of their cotton-made clothes whose priority is to protect the farmers, the environment, and communities (People Tree, n.d.). The close partnerships maintained at the company and involvement in digital marketing are great assets to its business and financial sustainability. The sustainable prices for consumers and commitment to putting smiles on people stand out for People Tree. Growth is inevitable for such an organization that grows everyone in the business line.

People Tree products include tops, skirts, jumpsuits, accessories, trousers, among others. Prices go as low as below 25 pounds sterling depending on the product. For instance, the cheapest and most expensive skirts are 39 and 49 pounds sterling, respectively (People Tree, n.d.). Given the fair trade practices by People Tree, I would be more than willing to be part of the community as a customer. I believe the future of the fashion industry is reflected in People Tree’s practices. This company is likely to make a huge impact on the industry’s future.

 

 

 

References

Lin, J. E., (2022, March 1). The global Challenges and Opportunities in Fashion. [Online forum post]. European Higher Education Fair. https://ehef.id/post/global-challenges-and-opportunities-fashion/en

People Tree (n.d). https://www.peopletree.co.uk/about-us/fair-trade-fashion//

 

The fashion culture has been slowly evolving, leaning towards a more sustainable way of producing clothing. Although some companies are leaning towards sustainability, fashion still harms the environment. Through the production of clothing we are increasing our carbon footprint on earth and affecting many walks of life globally. Sustainability is a fairly new method being introduced to the fashion world and contributes to conserving our environment. Many companies and brands are slowly shifting into working with fair trade manufacturers and sustainable production.

The Girlfriend collective is a sustainability activewear brand based in Washington, DC. This particular company practices ethical production through the use of eco-friendly dyes and recycled sustainable methods. They encourage customers to take back and recycle used garments to receive an incentive in return. This brand mainly stood out to me because not only are they sustainable, their sizes run up to 6X, being a US32 (Staff, 2022). As you visit the website you can sign up for their newsletter and receive a small discount on your first purchase. The website is filled with all shapes and sizes of natural bodies which is refreshing and pricing is affordable. This is one of the few companies that offers the highest sizes available, promoting inclusivity. Furthermore they offer a variety of styles and a wide selection of colors for every collection reflective of the season and trends. Through various methods, the Girlfriend Collective is making activewear widely accessible and contributing to global conservation.

Although fashion harms our environment and places risk on citizens around the world there are ways to improve the manufacturing process. It can take decades to have companies convert to fair trade production methods. The lives of millions of citizens in different countries have been impacted because of our clothing and there needs to be change. Although companies are using eco-friendly packaging, dyes and fabrics, they can also push to use renewable energy. Thankfully there are many sustainable companies to discover on The Good Trade website. They highlight companies that are sustainable and their contribution to revolutionize the fashion industry. 

By Amber Alicea 

References

Staff. (2022, February). 35 ethical and sustainable clothing brands betting against Fast Fashion. The Good Trade. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing 

Image:

Griggs, M. (2020, October). 17 picks from girlfriend Collective’s 20% off everything sale. SELF. Retrieved March 2022, from https://www.self.com/gallery/girlfriend-collective-sale

 

   

 

• Started in 2016; Location: L.A, USA. 
• The fashion industry contributes to a reasonable percentage of earth pollution using non-eco-friendly materials, machinery, and production processes.
• The American apparel industry is responsible for the continued positive growth of the industry, contributing “US$180.5 in 2021 from e-commerce revenue” (Statista Research Department. Apparel, footwear, and accessories retail e-commerce revenue in the United States from 2017 to 2025, 2022).
• Vetta is an e-commerce-established business led by CEO Carla Bartlett.
• Serves eco-friendly affordable women’s wear.
• Focuses on the responsible and sustainable production of each collection.
• Uses deadstock fabric, linen, organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel that is 100% eco-friendly.
• The products consist of 5 item capsules containing up to 30 outfits bought by average everyday women.
• Outfits include wrap dresses, reversible miniskirts, pants, shirts, and sweaters.
• Recycles using solar power energy through responsible factories in L.A, that knit the products like sweaters using machines. 
• The company can upscale and set up shops in other locations due to profit recorded in the past “making 2.32 per transaction an average of $232 per order” (Moore, K. Capsules Boost Sales For Fashion Brands, 2020).

• Vetta is on the right business track and will grow due to its relevance to market trends. 

Started manufacturing aiming to uphold respect for the earth and people. The strategy to utilize dead stock aims to reduce waste and utilize the existing surplus, avoid landfills, and also allows the company to realize special patterns and fabrics that are appreciated by people. The company’s thoughtful goal is achieved by their recruiting technique of picking ‘people with raw designing desire, analytical thinkers, good communicators, and perfect problem-solving skills’ (Lidberg K. VETTA – Find Remote Work from Home or Flexible Jobs, 2022). Vetta embraces responsible manufacturing and minimalism. The professionals in the company are allowed flexible work schedules with remote working options.

The price range from their capsule wardrobe is affordable for instance a tee from $49.00, $98.00 for a shirt, $128.00 for a pair of pants, and a dress range from $138.00.  The products are affordable enough even for individuals with an average income. The digital market is expanding, therefore creating a convenient online shopping and delivery platform for customers with easy payment methods will help the business grow. With the continued call for eco-friendly and responsible businesses practices, Vetta is on the right track.

 

 

Reference

• Lidberg K. 2022. VETTA – Find Remote Work from Home or Flexible Jobs. Accessed on March 4, 2022, from: https://www.flexjobs.com/remote-jobs/company/vetta
• Moore, K. Jan 17, 2020. Capsules Boost Sales For Fashion Brands, Vogue Business. Accessed on March 6, 2022, from: https://www.voguebusiness.com/consumers/uniform-dressing-boosts-sales-fashion-brands-misha-nonoo-mm-lafleur
• Statista Research Department. Jan 4, 2022. Apparel, footwear, and accessories retail e-commerce revenue in the United States from 2017 to 2025.Accessed on March 6, 2022, from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/278890/us-apparel-and-accessories-retail-e-commerce-revenue/

 

In 2022, we have seen more brands incorporate sustainable practices within their company mission. Due to the growing concerns around climate change and other environmental issues, consumers are now willing to engage with businesses that provide sustainable practices more than they have in the past. According to a study done by IBM in 2020, 70% of shoppers located in the United States and Canada prefer brands that are eco-friendly (Bekmagambetova. 2020). Many of these consumers have also mentioned that they are willing to pay more and want to know the origin of the products they wear as well.  Patagonia has made themselves known as a world leader in terms of sustainability. They are an apparel company based in California, USA founded by Yvon Choiunard in 1973. Currently, they are an American retailer that sells outdoor clothing with hundreds of stores located globally. Patagonia is mainly known for their fair trade apparel items.

      They have also been known to become one of the earliest activists to support environmental ethics (The Good Trade. 2022). They began such practices by using recycled and organic materials. Patagonia has continued to produce their items in a way where there are less harmful impacts to the environment. In late 2018, the company had updated their mission statement to “We’re In Business To Save Our Home Planet”. This shows how they incorporate being socially responsible and prioritizing it in their company values. As for the responsibility of this company in the fashion industry, they engage themselves into 3 categories which are donations, product and activism (Medium. 2021). Patagonia has joined programs that allow themselves to promote recycled items to consumers as well and by donating a part of their annual sales to charities. They have also worked with many environmental protection groups in order to speed up their progress in being a fully corporate responsible brand. 

       Looking at the fashion industry overall, the main problem is unethical practices that include child labor, animal cruelty, environmental impacts and much more. While Patagonia is definitely a leading brand in terms of serving ethical practices, they are not 100% there yet in terms of their goals. This is due to trying to grow the amount of recycled materials and renewable energy they use throughout their production. One of the main goals that they have for the future is to be carbon neutral by 2025 and source the majority of their energy and materials from sustainable sources (Medium. 2021). This goes back to their mission statement where they want to serve their consumers and the planet by doing more good than harm. From a business perspective, I believe that Patagonia will continue to be successful due to the growing need for consumers and brands to be more socially responsible. I have purchased a jacket from the brand myself and I prefer wearing clothes that allow me to follow eco-friendly practices as well. Patagonia will also drive other companies to incorporate sustainable practices into their values in the future.

Citations:

Bekmagambetova, D. (2020, January 10). Two-thirds of North Americans prefer eco-friendly brands, study finds. Barron’s. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.barrons.com/articles/two-thirds-of-north-americans-prefer-eco-friendly-brands-study-finds-51578661728 

Climate Conscious. (2021, April 19). What makes Patagonia a world leader in Sustainability. Medium. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://medium.com/climate-conscious/what-makes-patagonia-a-world-leader-in-sustainability-486073f0daa 

The Good Trade. (2022, February 16). 35 ethical and sustainable clothing brands betting against Fast Fashion. The Good Trade. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing

 

   The problem in the fashion world when producing apparel is lack of sustainability, if you don’t consider sustainability there are recurring problems people don’t consider such as climate change, deforestation, plastic pollution, water scarcity, and biodiversity ( Bielawski, 2022). The clothing industry greatly contributes to environmental and human damage, if sustainability doesnt exist we won’t be able to fix many of these issues. Human rights abuses also are in danger without sustainability because cheap fast-fashion garments are usually made by garment workers under harsh working conditions,  fast fashion brands make apparel in developing countries where the workers are paid under the living wage. Furthermore, sustainability is important because it ensures fair wages and proper working conditions. This is why fair trade brands make sure the maintenance and creation of supply chains are manufacturers and even farmers get a fair portion share in exchange for their products. There are a lot of upcoming trendy sustainable fashion brands making an apprentice, one of them is called Se`zane headquarters in Paris, France other locations in London, New York City, and Madrid. The founder of the high-quality affordable Parisian fashion brand is a woman named Morgane Se`zalory who caters to millennials’ fashion that creates high-quality pieces. Perfectly cut pieces that can be worn forever that last, offering all women luxury quality at a fair and accessible price. Se`zalory believes the pieces they purchase today should become the vintage of tomorrow,  to achieve this they develop timeless pieces that will outlive fleeting trends and are such diverse they can be worn every season. Se`zane is also B Corp certified meaning they meet high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain input materials and practices (Kim, 2017) ​​Se`zane  Looks at sustainability in Portugal, embroidery made by hand in India,  silk production in china, and weaving and threading in Bulgaria are mostly made by hand and eco-friendly. How I view the responsibility of the American apparel industry in global production is slowly changing but wouldn’t be completely ethical unless every single company and fashion brand uses sustainability. Se’zane can upscale due to the time and effort, ethical practices they put into producing their clothing. It is a  mature but still very stylish aesthetic, which I see myself purchasing. They are not just a brand but a lifestyle. On the 21st of every month, 10% of their global sales and 100% of the proceeds from a dedicated design are donated to programs that support access to education and equal opportunities for children over the world. I see this brand helping to achieve fashion humanity and suitability in the apparel world as much as they can.

                                                         References 

Bielawski , K. (2022). 8 reasons why sustainable fashion matters. 8 REASONS WHY SUSTAINABLE FASHION MATTERS. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.narahsoleigh.com/blogs/blog/8-reasons-why-sustainable-fashion-matters 

Kim, S. (2017, June 22). Why companies are becoming B corporations. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2016/06/why-companies-are-becoming-b-corporations 

our sustainability program . Sézane. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.sezane.com/us/behind-the-label/ 

Why companies are becoming B corporations. Harvard Business Review. (2017, June 22). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2016/06/why-companies-are-becoming-b-corporations 

 

The need for sustainability is obvious as we will be stuck on the planet with the leftovers. Most of the sustainable fashion brands are selling sports or casual minimalist-style clothing that use natural or new technology recycled fibers, that’s why it is interesting to see what Levi’s, one of the world’s oldest jeans brands are doing in terms of sustainability. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the globe (Sustain Your Style, 2022) and jeans are usually on the top list of garment polluters. The cotton dying process is quite toxic, and it takes a lot of water to make a single pair of jeans “To make just one pair of denim jeans, 10,000 liters of water is required to just grow the one kilo of cotton needed for the pair of jeans. In comparison, one person would take 10 years to drink 10,000 liters of water (United Nations, 2018). In 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented the blue jeans (History.com, 2009), since then the brand has kept up to date with market trends by becoming more conscious and introducing sustainable practices. Levi’s is labeled as sustainable because they are thinking full-circle, Levi’s is designing with recycled plastic materials, the brand is also cleaning up the water before it ends in nature and it’s creating new processes to make jeans without the use of water, the Water<Less® technology. The brand is concerned to create durable products and even offers repairing, reimaging, and recycling at their tailor shops, according to Levi’s website they stopped using PFCs and PFAS, “Prolonged exposure to and unsafe handling of PFCs and PFAS has been linked to severe human and environmental health impacts, including cancer, but they’re still used in a wide range of everyday items, from kitchen appliances to apparel” (Levi’s, 2022). The California brand, present in over one hundred countries is committed to sustainability, they are also thinking of ethical production and sourcing and ways to give back to the community. Quite incredible achievements for a brand to have while maintaining prices affordable. I will definitely consider this information next time I’m shopping for a new pair of jeans.

 

References

A&E Television Networks. (2009, November 24). Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis Patent Blue jeans. History.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/levi-strauss-and-jacob-davis-receive-patent-for-blue-jeans

CBC/Radio Canada. (2020, September 16). How jeans became one of the most polluting garments in the world | CBC radio. CBC news. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/how-jeans-became-one-of-the-most-polluting-garments-in-the-world-1.5280773

Fashion & environment. SustainYourStyle. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/whats-wrong-with-the-fashion-industry

United Nations. (n.d.). UN Helps Fashion Industry to Low Carbon. Unfccc.int. Retrieved March 5, 2022, from https://unfccc.int/news/un-helps-fashion-industry-shift-to-low-carbon

Monee Williams

Dr. Monroe

BUF 4700

March 4, 2022

Within the apparel industry, the main problems are assuring that the workers are treated well, have acceptable working conditions, and that garments are made in a sustainable way. Nowadays, some customers want their purchases to be done in a eco-friendly way. Also, other customers may prefer the personalization of a smaller, sustainable company. For example, “When you buy his clothes, he sends you a note… that he writes himself… It is a small screw you to big companies” (Trebay, 2020).

The company I chose for Fair-Trade Clothing is Levi’s. The company Levi Strauss & Co was founded in 1853 in San Francisco, CA by Levi Strauss. The mission statement of Levi’s is, “To sustain responsible commercial success as a global marketing company of brand apparel”. Additionally, their vision statement is, “We are the embodiment of the energy and events of our times, inspiring people with a pioneer spirit”. Levi’s core values consist of “innovation, sustainability, progress, originality, integrity, courage, empathy, creativity and hard work.” (mission-statement.com/levi-strauss) In 1886, Levi introduced the two horse trademark that illustrated two horses trying to separate a pair of Levi’s overalls. Their logo stands for the strength of their clothes in the face of competitors.

As part of Fair Trade, most of Levi’s products are currently made in third world countries, like Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. However, some of the higher end Levi’s products (like premium and vintage) are still made in the United States (levistrauss.com). Levi’s garments are made by machines, not handmade.

In my opinion, although companies want to keep their price points low, if they are choosing to produce apparel globally, it is their responsibility to make sure that the workers are treated well and paid competitive wages.

From a business/financial perspective, Levis is sustainable. Their net reviews typically grow by 11 – 13%. Quarterly dividends paid to stockholders continues to increase. In the 4^th quarter alone, Levi enjoyed revenues of $1.7 billion (investors.levistrauss.com). Levis is not considered upscale, but prices range from $19.99 – to $1,000’s for vintage collectables.

As it relates to the market demographics, all age groups wear Levi’s, including babies, children, adults (young and old). I am already a happy customer of Levi’s, owning several pairs of their jeans. I can attest that the quality is superb and lasts for years.

In my opinion, Levi’s lives up to it’s mission and continues to provide apparel for customers that is reasonably priced and sustainable.

References

Trebay, G., 2020, “Want to Make it Big in Fashion? Think Small”. The New York Times

“Quarterly Results”. Levi’s, www.investors.levisstrauss.com/financials/quarterly-results

“Who We Are”. Levi’s, www.levistrauss.com/who-we-are/company/