Stop Saying Consumers Won't Pay for Sustainability and Build Brands People Legitimately Love and Clothes People Actually Want to Wearđ
If Aritzia can sell a $248 blazer and a $168 sweater, price isnât why people don't buy sustainable fashion.
Welcome to Morning Coffee Thoughts, a column where I share whatâs brewing in my mind as I sip my first cup of coffee. â
In todayâs post:
My response to a recent Business of Fashion article and why I donât entirely agree.
Unpacking the âgreen premiumâ and âbrown discountââand why brands like Aritzia and Revolve prove that price maaaay not be the real barrier for sustainable fashion.
Actionable strategies to building an Aritzia-level brand experience without a massive marketing budget.
How Trumpâs presidency and political shifts will reshape industry dynamics and consumer priorities.
Nothing like a trip to the ER to remind you youâre not as young and spry as you used to be, ha! It feels like itâs been ages since Iâve popped up in your inbox, but Iâm happy to report Iâm on the mend with a coffee in hand, and am excited to dive into todayâs Morning Coffee Thoughts.
SoâŠTrump is headed back to the White House. đ
Rachel Cernasky from Vogue Business asked how Iâm feeling, if Iâm wrestling with that 'Whatâs the point? Why bother?' feeling, and whether I plan to pivot my work in the face of Trump 2.0.
Iâll share what I shared on LinkedIn:
â Click here to read what other sustainability professionals said.
Why Consumers Will Pay $248 for an Aritzia Blazer but Say Sustainable Fashion is Too Expensive
Earlier this week, I read an article in Business of Fashion by Kenneth Pucker about the challenges sustainable fashion brands face because of the âgreen premiumâ and âbrown discount.â
The "green premium" refers to the additional costs involved in producing eco-friendly products. Sustainable practicesâlike using organic or recycled materials, paying fair wages, and minimizing environmental impactâare more expensive, which increases the retail price for consumers. This means that shoppers often encounter a âgreen premiumâ when choosing sustainable options, which is often a dealbreaker for shoppers.
To be clear: Iâm not talking about people who genuinely canât afford sustainable options. This conversation is about consumers who are able to buy from more expensive brands and retailersâyet hesitate to invest in sustainable alternatives.
The "brown discount" is the cost advantage that less sustainable brands benefit from by avoiding these practices. Brands that use cheaper, more polluting materials (like polyester) and bypass fair labor and environmental standards operate at a lower expense. This means they can sell their products at cheaper prices, which allows them to undercut more sustainable competitors.
Pucker argues that, despite rising consumer interest in sustainability, these cost disparities make it challenging for sustainable brands to compete. He suggests that without regulatory changes or breakthrough innovations to reduce costs, the industry will struggle to meet its sustainability goals.