If you’ve ever taken an English composition class, I feel your pain. I’ve taken many English classes in my life, and despite my credentials, I did NOT enjoy most of them.

However, I’ve also been an English teacher; I’ve seen not just the aspects of learning to write that are obnoxious and/or unnecessary, but also the elements that are important for effective communication.

One of the first lessons I always taught my college composition students was on author’s INTENT, or WHY we write. In classical rhetoric, the “why” of writing is broken into three categories: inform, persuade, and entertain.

Why does INTENT matter in fashion copywriting?

My primary goal as a conscious fashion copywriter is to communicate directly to prospective customers in the voice of the brand. I want every customer to know what they need to in order to make a considered, well-informed purchase. That includes everything from price to laundering instructions, style details to shipping costs.

But since I am a copywriter and not a content writer, my job does not stop at informing. Sales copy’s other purpose is persuasion. The customer shouldn’t just get the necessary information about the garment – they need to be told why that garment is the one they should buy.

What about the last flavor of intent? Everybody likes to be entertained. We laugh at silly reviews, or clever witticisms in item descriptions. We appreciate good stories in blog posts and newsletters. Those entertaining elements establish positive connections between the reader and the writer. And if the writer happens to be a fashion brand, then that positive connection makes a potential customer more likely to become a purchasing customer.

What does that look like on a fashion brand’s website?

Information tends to be straightforward. These are the facts, with no embellishment. From what I’ve seen, the majority of brands include bullet points for each garment that list things like fabric content, design elements, and country of production (P.S. to big brands: stop putting “imported.” We all know that means “made in China, but we don’t want to admit it”).

Some of this information is legally required. Other details minimize the likelihood of customer returns – like sizing and fit measurements. Not only are these practical considerations, they also save your brand money and decrease your carbon footprint.

Persuasion is less direct. These appeals to customer sensibilities can be positive or negative: think “these shoes showcase your sexy legs” vs “your fat legs can look slimmer in these pants.” Unfortunately, negative emotions tend to carry more weight and leave a bigger impression than their positive counterparts. However, my personal ethics prevent me from using negative appeals – I refuse to make someone feel bad in order to sell a product.

But there are plenty of avenues for ethical persuasion, such as connecting the information about the product directly to the potential customer. Just stating the sizing measurements is not persuasive in and of itself. But if the brand bases its sizing off of a less common block/sloper shape – like a wide hip and narrow waist – then that’s worth leaning into: “Shout out to the curvy ladies! You have FINALLY found your new favorite pair of pants. NO MORE WAIST GAP.”

While all text has the potential to be entertaining, I think brands that do not have a regular blog or a newsletter miss out on major opportunities to entertain and connect with their customer base. Information is what we look for, entertainment is what we look FORWARD to. It’s the difference between closing a notification and opening it to see what’s inside; skipping a new post and going to the website to read the full text. More engagement produces more sales.

Ok, that’s INTENT in fashion copywriting… So, what’s the problem?

WAY too often, I see brands leaving off one or more of those components. They will provide a basic bulleted list of garment features, but not talk to the customer about why that garment needs to be in their wardrobe. Or they give a description, but neglect to say what the fabric content is, or how it should be laundered. These are major missed opportunities.

I also keep seeing boutique website templates that have the item description, details, size and fit info, etc., as clickable tabs that customers need to manually expand in order to see the information. Do NOT do that. Any click for a customer is work that you are asking that customer to do. There are also customers who will not realize that those ARE tabs, and will assume that the information is flat-out missing. Put all of the information in an immediately visible, easy-to-read format. NO TABS.

Personally, I am an information-driven customer. If a product listing leaves off information that I consider necessary, I will not even consider buying it. And I’m certainly not going to use a chatbot or “contact us” form to ask what a dress is made out of, or if I can toss it in the washing machine. There are millions of other dress options online that DO provide that information on the sales page.

On the other hand, there are customers who won’t buy anything they don’t feel connected with. These potential customers will NOT be won over by a bulleted list of features. They need someone to reach out to them in the description, talk directly to them, and tell them how that garment will make their lives better. Will that dress be the one that they wear to the dinner date where their future spouse proposes? Or maybe this wool coat will be like a warm hug on a windy day, keeping them toasty until they can get their hands on a delicious hot beverage. Remember: emotional connection is built through effective communication.

Daaaamn, that is complicated. Is there a way to make it easier?

You betcha! Hire a skilled fashion copywriter to do it all for you. =)

I used to tell my composition students that they had two options:
– Become a good writer and do it yourself
– Be ready to pay a good writer to do it for you

This will always be true. You can do something yourself and possibly save money, but it will take up a lot of your time and the quality will only be as good as your capability and training in that skill. OR you can outsource the job to an expert, which will immediately save you time and get you superior results; and in the case of copywriting, it will end up making you MORE money than the initial cost. That’s an all-around win.

Looking for an expert in sustainable fashion copywriting? Send me an email at jecarvel@thefloralchainsaw.com and let me know!

Does slow fashion need explaining?

While those of us in the fashion industry intimately understand the difference between “slow” and “fast” fashion because it affects the daily aspects of how we work, none of that is seen by the customer. In other words – they don’t know what they don’t know. And one of the most important jobs I have as a slow fashion copywriter is to educate customers so they can make informed purchases.

As I said in my post on “Bridging the Gap” between designers and customers, all the shopper sees is what you tell them. That can be as bare-bones as a product photo and a price. OR you can use each product listing, blog post, and newsletter as an opportunity not just to engage with potential buyers, but to educate them on why slow fashion options are better for everyone.

Starting with the name: slow fashion

The term “fast fashion” is not new – it was first used in a New York Times article in 1990. However, that original article was not framing it as a negative. It had not yet become the massive, destructive force that is modern fast fashion. That negative perception has gradually developed over a 34-year period. BUT that discussion only entered mainstream awareness a few years ago.

The term “slow fashion” – a riff off of the slow food movement – was coined in 2007, in an article in The Ecologist (not to be confused with The Economist). It took another 10 years or so for the term to work its way from niche knowledge into the public sphere. But being aware of it and understanding it are two very different things.

Slow doesn’t just take longer…

The term “slow fashion” only conveys the timeline difference. And to the average customer, something taking longer to get in their hands is NOT a good thing. If you – as a customer – have the option of getting the same product at the same price in 2 days or 10, you will go for the 2-day delivery nearly every time.

Again, from a customer perspective, if you have a choice between the same product being delivered in 2 days or 10, AND the 10-day delivery product price is 10x more…well, what SANE person is going to buy something for 10x as much AND have it take 5x as long to be delivered?

“BUT WAIT!” you say…

“They aren’t the same product AT ALL!” Yes, YOU know that. And I know that. But does your CUSTOMER know that?

Not unless you TELL THEM HOW it’s a different product

It’s worth repeating. And repeating again. The customer ONLY KNOWS what you TELL them. That can be through words or pictures, but the information needs to be provided to the customer for them to be able to act on it.

And that’s where sustainable fashion copywriting comes in.

It is MY job as a copywriter to know:

• Who the target customer is
• What information they need to make a purchase
• Why they want/need that information
• How to make it easy to understand
• Where to put it so that it’s accessible
• When customers are going to need it

Regardless of whether it’s a shop blog post, a detailed garment description, or a brand’s email newsletter, those are ALL things that I take into consideration. Because I want any copy that I write to be conscientious, helpful, and cost-effective.

Revisiting the customer choice scenario

Again, we have the same item being offered for a low price and 2-day shipping, or 10x that price and 10-day shipping. What’s the problem with that scenario? If it’s the difference between a fast fashion garment and a slow fashion garment, it’s NOT the same item.

Sustainable fashion copywriting shows your customer that they ARE different.

• Materials (e.g., polyester vs linen)
• Construction (e.g., serged/overlocked seams vs french seams)
• Details (e.g., iron-on transfer vs hand-embroidery)
• Fit (e.g., one-size-fits-none vs numeric size range)
• Durability (e.g., lasts a season vs lasts for decades)

And that list is limited to the garment itself, not the overarching impacts that fashion production chains have on workers and the planet. So even if you have a customer who is ONLY interested in the immediate cost vs benefits comparison, that’s enough information to sway most mid-grade customers to purchase UP rather than down.

The “well, duh” that isn’t so obvious

TL;DR – Slow fashion isn’t JUST slow. You and I know this. Does your customer know? ONLY if you tell them. How? Through well-written, conscientious sales copy.

That’s where I come in. As a professional sustainable fashion copywriter, I am an expert at getting all of the necessary information into the hands of your customers so that they understand the benefits of buying YOUR pieces over the fast fashion alternatives. So not only do you NOT have to figure all of this out on your own, you don’t even have to do any writing – EXCEPT to shoot me an email. =)

What’s the problem?

One of the biggest hurdles that causes the average customer to balk when considering the shift from fast-waste fashion to slow-sustainable wardrobes is the price points. If a person is used to buying t-shirts for $5, they need several practical reasons for why they should be paying 10x as much (or more) for another t-shirt.

From the designer’s perspective, the reason for the difference in price is obvious. But that is because the designer sees what goes into making a t-shirt, or any other piece of clothing. The customer only knows what THEY see – the t-shirt and the price. And while fashion publications will praise a company with sustainable practices, it’s SALES that keep the company in business.

This is where sustainable fashion copywriting comes in. Because I am looking at the sales dynamic from an outside perspective, I consider the outlook (and assumptions) of the designer AND the needs (and assumptions) of the customer.

From my viewpoint, the disconnect is obvious.

Give me an example…

The sustainable denim brand, B Sides, was born from the antique denim collection curated by two fashion industry veterans. Their jeans are classic, traditional 100% cotton, made in the USA from USA-source materials. And according to their website’s “About” page, they consider their jeans to be “at an accessible price.” Regular (non-sale) jeans from B Sides cost between $255 and $295.

Compare that to the jeans found on Temu, the massive direct-from-China factory warehouse app, where the average price for jeans is around $20-25. Literally 1/10th the cost of B Sides jeans.

Sustainable fashion designers tend to assume that customers already know why their products cost 10x as much as their fast-fashion counterparts. Or they think that ethical appeals on behalf of garment industry workers and the planet are sufficient.

However, the average potential customer is looking for a more pragmatic explanation – and won’t be making a purchase until they get one. This is particularly true in our current economic state, where most people do NOT have the luxury of frivolous spending. Expert fashion copywriting provides customers with clear explanations of what they are getting for every dollar that they spend.

So…what’s the difference?

In other words, what’s the justification for the MASSIVE difference in price?

The list is long and complex. I’d LOVE to do a deep-dive into all of the differences between a $20 pair of Temu jeans and the $295 Elissa Straight Jean from B Sides. However, the average customer doesn’t really give a damn about any of that.

There’s two angles to justification: one from the designer, one from the customer. You, the designer, have already built out your angle – it’s why you developed your sustainable brand in the first place.

The customer’s angle is the one that needs to be created; that’s what bridges the gap between the designer’s set price and the price a customer is willing to pay. My job as a slow fashion copywriter is to create the justification for potential customers to spend their money on sustainable products.

How do we do that?

Let’s compare to another product category: appliances. There are generally three price points– budget, mid-grade, and high-end.

“Budget” is for people who either don’t have a lot of money to spend OR are looking for “a deal.” Maybe they cannot afford anything better, but need a machine right now. Or they are always going to buy the cheapest they can find, regardless of how long it will last, because they see it as a bargain. These people won’t buy anything above the budget price point.

“Mid-Grade” is the price point for people who are OK with investing more money (and have the money TO invest) in order to get a machine that will last longer and work better. This is the “you get what you pay for” group – pragmatic purchasers who are looking for good construction, solid materials, decent features, and a user-friendly interface. People in this group will buy budget options if they fulfill the mid-grade quality requirements, and will occasionally splurge on a high-end appliance if they find it on sale.

“High-End” buyers don’t care about the cost. They want whatever the latest thing is, with whatever the newest features are. Bells? Yes. Whistles? Absolutely. They expect their purchase to last awhile, but it won’t ruin them financially if it needs repairs or replacing in the next 5-10 years. These customers rarely consider mid-grade or budget options, so they are unlikely to buy below this price point.

Any seller who is looking to increase their customer base, regardless of what price point their products fall into, MUST appeal to the mid-grade customer group – they are the ones willing to shift to the high-end or budget markets, if given solid reasons to do so. Good fashion copywriting outlines those reasons in a clear, concise, and convincing way.

But what about the jeans?

Thinking about the jeans comparison from the budget/mid-grade/high-end perspective, we can put the Temu jeans solidly into the budget category, and the B Sides jeans into the high-end category.

There are people who will only ever buy jeans from Temu and would think someone buying B Sides jeans is either crazy rich or just plain crazy. They are not our target audience.

Conversely, there are people who will only buy B Sides or similar high-end jeans and think anyone buying from Temu is wasting money on disposable fashion trash. Even though these people are looking to buy high-end, they are also not our target audience – they are ALREADY SOLD on the sustainable fashion concept and do not need further convincing.

Sustainable fashion copywriting focuses on the mid-grade fashion customer, the person who sees the value in long-lasting, well-made pieces. But for them to feel like they are investing a garment, they need to know that the QUALITY is equal to the COST. They need the JUSTIFICATION that strong sales copy provides.

TL; DR Summary

Well-written sustainable fashion sales copy convinces mid-grade-product customers that the increased VALUE of quality, durability, and details they get from slow fashion pieces JUSTIFIES the increased price. While a $25 pair of jeans from Temu will only last about a year before falling apart, a $250 pair of jeans from B Sides will last 10 years OR MORE. And wouldn’t you want to keep your favorite pair of jeans for as long as possible? I know I would.